Podcasts about seasons a wonderful life

In Episode 15 of Season 4, the Slow Burn Cast Pat (NintenTalk), Min (Min's Meadow), and Payton (Payton'sCorner) discuss several topics including their updated thoughts on Moonlight Peaks, Pokopia DLC discussion & thoughts, and 4 listener emails!!Join the OFFICIAL Slow Burn Discord: https://discord.gg/6wxYg3S7BMSlow Burn Podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SlowBurnCastGames mentioned:- Moonlight Peaks- Fields of Mistria- Pokémon Pokopia upcoming DLC (August)- Starsand Island- Tomodachi Life- Stardew Valley- Sunhaven- Coral Island- Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

Al, Kevin, and Micah go through the games of the year and crown their winner for 2023. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:42: What Have We Been Up To 00:27:56: 2023 Releases 00:34:54: Previous Winners 00:36:30: Our Nominations 01:53:00: GOTY Debate 02:08:06: Decision 02:15:50: Outro Games Mentioned Games released this year Above Snakes Before the green moon Everdream valley Fae Farm Farming Simulator 23 Flutter Away Garden Buddies Garden In Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos Hello Kitty: Island Adventure Homestead Arcana Innchanted Lego Fortnite Loddlenaut Mineko's Night Market Moonstone Island My Time at SAndrock Paleo Pines Roots of Pacha Rune Factory 3 Special Season: A Letter to the Future Silent Hope Smushi Come Home Spells and Secrets Spirittea Sprout Valley Steamworld Build Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Sun Down Tchia Terra Nil Wildmender EA released in a previous year, 1.0 this year Ikonei Island Moondrop Sun Haven Coral island DDV EA released this year Cornucopia Fabledom Moonlight in Garland One Lonely Outpost Research Factory Song of the Prairie Snacko Previous Winners 2019: Doraemon SoS 2020: Summer in Mara 2021: Spiritfarer 2022: Ooblets Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. My name is Al. (0:00:39) Micah: I’m waiting, I’m waiting for you. (0:00:41) Kevin: Oh, I was waiting for you, too. I’m Micah. (0:00:44) Al: And we are here today to confuse you a lot. (0:00:46) Micah: And I’m Kev. (0:00:48) Kevin: There we go. (0:00:52) Al: It says, “We’re to talk about cottage core games.” (0:00:52) Kevin: Well, I mean, that goes without saying. (0:00:56) Al: Whoo! (0:00:57) Kevin: Whoo-hoo! (0:00:57) Al: Just, just in case people don’t know who they are, the names were the wrong way around there. (0:01:03) Al: So you know, they’re good luck. (0:01:06) Al: This is the fun episode of the year where I get two people on and we argue about which (0:01:14) Al: is the best game. (0:01:16) Al: And most of the time we come to a conclusion where we’re all accepting that that is our combined game of the year. (0:01:22) Kevin: Not this year. I refuse already. (0:01:26) Al: We will see where this year goes. (0:01:29) Al: But oh boy, oh boy, do I have some opinions. (0:01:34) Al: We’ll get to that when we get to that. (0:01:37) Al: Obviously transcripts are available for the episode and the show in general in the show notes and on the website. (0:01:44) Al: The game of the year stuff, Micah, what have you been up to? (0:01:46) Micah: I have been playing Dragon Quest Monsters 3 and I have also been playing Starfield quite a bit. (0:01:48) Al: Shock, shock harder. (0:01:52) Kevin: Good stuff. How many slimes are on your teeth? (0:01:59) Al: Interesting. What do you think? (0:02:01) Micah: I… (0:02:03) Micah: Okay. (0:02:04) Kevin: This, this is the response I hear every time I ask about it. (0:02:08) Micah: I very much understand two things. (0:02:14) Micah: I am a fan. (0:02:17) Micah: I am a fan of Bethesda game design and have been for many years. (0:02:22) Micah: So there is a level of comfort that comes with it. (0:02:27) Micah: I also understand that it is kind of dated game design. (0:02:33) Micah: And it all sort of feels the same as far as Bethesda goes. (0:02:40) Micah: But because I like that, I appreciate it. (0:02:44) Kevin: Yeah, no, that makes sense. I’m a Tetris fan, and Tetris hasn’t changed once in the 40 years it’s been out. (0:02:52) Al: That’s not true! That’s not true, Kevin. (0:02:54) Kevin: Yeah, I know that’s not true. (0:02:56) Al: We know, you know, you know that Tetris has changed. (0:02:58) Al: It has improved. It has moved with the times. (0:02:59) Kevin: Yeah, it is. (0:03:01) Micah: Tetris Effect is one of the greatest Tetris games of all time. Tetris 99. I would say, (0:03:04) Al: Exactly. Exactly. (0:03:06) Micah: I would actually argue that Tetris has done more changing than most franchises do. It’s kind of impressive. I don’t know, it’s kids. It can be cozy, right? Tetris can be a cozy (0:03:14) Kevin: You’re right, especially one we’re a fan of in particular. (0:03:19) Al: You don’t come, we don’t come for Tetris here, Kevin. (0:03:22) Kevin: I mean, we could. (0:03:28) Kevin: We could argue which one’s the best shaped piece. (0:03:31) Al: They also have their scam game that Cody’s playing. (0:03:31) Micah: Their scam game? No. (0:03:34) Kevin: Ah, well. (0:03:35) Al: Oh, have you not heard this, Micah? She’s playing a game that, like, you get points and then apparently once you hit a million or two million points you can win a free cruise, (0:03:45) Al: and I’m convinced it’s a scam. I’m waiting for the day that she gets to the right number of points and then, like, we never hear from her again because she’s, like, shipped off to have our organs harvested or something. (0:03:45) Micah: What? That does sound kinda scary. (0:03:49) Kevin: It does. (0:03:57) Micah: Dear God, all because of Tetris. (0:04:03) Kevin: Well, at least she had fun getting there. (0:04:05) Al: Anyway, so Starfield. (0:04:06) Kevin: That sounds like the game of the year to me. (0:04:10) Al: So what you’re saying is, if you like Starfield, you’ll like Starfield. (0:04:13) Al: That’s what you’re saying. (0:04:14) Micah: Yeah, if you like Bethesda games, Bethesda RPGs, (0:04:20) Micah: then you’ll probably like Starfield. (0:04:22) Micah: I think that there’s a lot of really neat things that they do with the. (0:04:27) Micah: Like space travel portions of it, there’s there’s a lot of really cool the like ship combat, space combat and stuff like that is very, very interesting. (0:04:37) Micah: It’s fun and the more that you kind of get comfortable with the how things function in the world, the you know, the more comfy of a game it is to. (0:04:49) Kevin: Okay, serious question. Have you played No Man’s Sky? (0:04:52) Micah: I have. (0:04:53) Kevin: to that (0:04:55) Micah: It is like if no man’s sky. (0:04:57) Micah: I had way more polished and was much more fleshed out and had much more like story elements to it. (0:05:09) Micah: I think that like primarily my enjoyment of Bethesda games comes from their writing. (0:05:17) Micah: And because there are just as an example, there’s a quest that I stumbled on by… (0:05:27) Micah: killing a space pirate and when I looked in his inventory there was a note and when I read the note that it unlocked this huge side quest that was like hours long. (0:05:40) Micah: Which is like I could have very easily missed that. (0:05:44) Micah: And I love that there’s such depth to like how stories play, like side stories even play out in Bethesda games like that. (0:05:57) Micah: So many times in Elder Scrolls games and things, you know, I’ll just stumble onto a cave and there’s a really deep story that’s written into this group that moved into this cave or whatever and it’s something that you could very easily miss. (0:06:16) Micah: It really makes me appreciate how much effort they put into writing things that people could never play in their, you know… (0:06:27) Micah: They’ll play through the game but there’s plenty of that in Starfield. (0:06:36) Al: Yeah, I think that’s fair. I’ve have enjoyed seeing a lot of the stuff online about all the kind of like side stuff, which has been for me, probably more fun than actually playing the game would be. So like, I totally get if you enjoy the game, then it makes it so much more fun, right? Because you’re finding all these things and just kind of stumble across this. But yeah, for me, it’s like, yeah, I enjoy watching someone post about it online or post a video or something like that. I think I know the side story you’re talking about, because that’s that’s the one that most people tend to go to. (0:06:42) Micah: Mm hmm. Yeah. (0:06:48) Kevin: Yeah. (0:07:12) Micah: Yeah, it’s a pretty important one because it, especially early on it, it gives you access to things that you would not have otherwise, that are pretty important. (0:07:22) Al: Yeah, you just confirmed it’s the one I’m thinking of. (0:07:28) Al: OK, well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. That’s the important thing. That’s what we play games for. (0:07:30) Kevin: Yeah, well, we, we actually could do greenhouse. (0:07:32) Micah: And you know, I could talk about Dragon Quest monsters endlessly, but I’ll save everybody’s. (0:07:37) Micah: I’ll save everyone’s ears for… (0:07:40) Kevin: I didn’t all gladly listen to Dragon Quest talk for. (0:07:42) Al: Let’s discuss that later. (0:07:44) Micah: Yeah, I think that’s probably what I’m gonna be hanging on to that for is the the later (0:07:52) Al: Awesome. Kevin, what have you been up to? (0:07:55) Kevin: So it’s been a hot mince I’ve been on I think and the biggest life update for people who haven’t heard I have kittens now (0:08:05) Micah: kittens? No. When you okay, when you say kittens, obviously plural, how many are we talking here? (0:08:06) Kevin: Have I not showing you the mic oh I will text you a picture right now (0:08:11) Kevin: Yes (0:08:15) Kevin: We’re talking too so We started off with one (0:08:20) Kevin: So we’re looking for a new place to move into and at one of the places we’ve kittens they were giving (0:08:25) Kevin: away and so we took one home and then after some discussions we said you know what I bet this kitten could use a companion so we went back and got one got one of her brothers and so we now went from no kittens to two kittens pretty much out of the blue their names are teddy and daisy (0:08:52) Kevin: They are about seven, eight weeks. (0:08:55) Kevin: They are about eight weeks old. (0:08:57) Kevin: This is my first time owning cats. I’ve had a dog before, but never cats. (0:09:02) Kevin: It’s been enjoyable there. (0:09:04) Kevin: Fun, energetic, Daisy in particular is a little gremlin who loves to run around. (0:09:08) Kevin: Teddy, the brother, he’s a lot more chill. (0:09:11) Kevin: He is, yeah, I’m loving them so far. I love animals, right? (0:09:15) Kevin: And they were so little when we got them. (0:09:17) Kevin: They were only like four weeks old when we got them. (0:09:20) Kevin: So they were really little. They were like tripled in size. (0:09:23) Kevin: I took them to the vet for the first time. (0:09:25) Kevin: Yesterday, and aren’t they precious I I will have to find of us an alpix so he can post it with the show (0:09:26) Micah: Oh my god. (0:09:33) Micah: Who who’s the which one is the white and gray one? (0:09:37) Kevin: That’s Daisy (0:09:38) Micah: That’s Daisy. (0:09:39) Kevin: Mm-hmm and then (0:09:40) Micah: Daisy looks very much like my brother’s cat, zero, who is 18 years old. (0:09:43) Kevin: Oh really, huh Wow Wow, that’s strong (0:09:48) Micah: But the like identical like pattern and facial structure and. (0:09:51) Kevin: Yeah, yeah, Teddy’s really cute. He’s got a tuxedo (0:09:55) Kevin: pattern. He’s got gray fur, but like little white paws and, um, and Daisy’s black or black gray spots. Yeah, they’re adorable. Um, so yeah, they can be a handful at times as I’m sure cat owners know they can get all over the place. (0:10:10) Kevin: But, um, but I’ve been enjoying. Um, so, uh, yeah, that’s the big thing really. But, uh, (0:10:16) Kevin: other than that, probably the biggest things I’ve been playing lately. Um, I’ve really been getting through Tears of the Kingdom finally. I’ve pretty much (0:10:25) Kevin: at the finish line I’ve done all the big quests I’m just kind of going around hitting up all the shrines and filling out the map and so on and so forth but I could go take on Ganon anytime. That game is phenomenal it’s great I mean I don’t have to go in-depth about it I’m sure everyone knows how good it is right right but yeah very good game I yeah not much I probably could add and then the The other one is a… (0:10:42) Al: Speaking of games that have secrets. (0:10:55) Kevin: Street Fighter 6 (0:10:58) Kevin: So I am a fighting game fan. I am bad at them, but I love them (0:11:03) Micah: Hey, me too. (0:11:04) Kevin: I picked it up. Yeah, yeah, you got right. I’ve only played two weeks (0:11:07) Micah: On both fronts. (0:11:10) Kevin: Have you picked up Street Fighter 6? (0:11:11) Micah: I have not. (0:11:12) Kevin: Micah, okay (0:11:12) Micah: I have some friends that I have watched play. (0:11:14) Kevin: Okay (0:11:18) Micah: And I have some friends that are extremely good at Street Fighter. (0:11:23) Kevin: Yeah, yeah good. Oh man, hats off to them. (0:11:24) Micah: So I’ve seen some, you know, stuff that I’ve seen gameplay that I don’t fully understand because it’s too… (0:11:33) Micah: high level for my small brain to comprehend, but… (0:11:40) Kevin: That’s fine, I’m playing it and it happens to me. (0:11:45) Kevin: So yeah, the two big things, I mean Street Fighter, right? (0:11:47) Kevin: It’s the iconic series, (0:11:48) Kevin: so I’m sure people know what it’s all about, it’s fighting. (0:11:51) Kevin: But the two big things that it brings, (0:11:54) Kevin: the first is called modern controls. (0:11:57) Kevin: They have a new control scheme (0:12:02) Kevin: that simplifies basically playing the game. (0:12:05) Kevin: So traditionally you’d have to do a motion on your control stick and a button and all sorts of crazy combinations to get moves out. (0:12:15) Kevin: But they simplified it, (0:12:16) Kevin: where you can get moves out with just the press of a button. (0:12:20) Kevin: It’s very beginner friendly. (0:12:23) Kevin: Because of the convenience of that, (0:12:25) Kevin: they balanced it by reducing the strength of the moves and things like that. (0:12:32) Kevin: I think it’s great. (0:12:33) Kevin: I don’t play it much myself, I like the classic stuff, (0:12:36) Kevin: but it’s fun to see people use it and be able to play, (0:12:41) Kevin: get in without having to worry about not being able to do the moves. (0:12:44) Kevin: I say that as someone who is not always able to do the moves. (0:12:50) Kevin: And the second big thing that they have is called world tour mode. (0:12:53) Kevin: Have you guys heard of this at all? (0:12:56) Kevin: Yeah, oh man. (0:12:58) Kevin: So World Tour Mode is their single player campaign. (0:13:02) Kevin: The real kicker is that it’s a create a character mode. (0:13:08) Kevin: So you create your own fighter, but they’re sliders to your physical attributes. (0:13:16) Kevin: So you can be as tall, skinny, short, whatever you want. (0:13:19) Kevin: You can make monstrosity looking characters and it will affect your gameplay. (0:13:24) Kevin: If you have long arms, you will be able to punch farther or whatever. (0:13:29) Kevin: It’s pretty fun making your own character. (0:13:32) Kevin: I love it. You can hang out with the cast, which are filled with fun dumb moments. (0:13:46) Kevin: You can text all the street fighters. It’s really funny. (0:13:48) Micah: I am a big fan of a really ridiculous character. (0:13:48) Kevin: It’s so good. It’s probably the most ridiculous one. Just today I saw somebody look like a spaghetti with arms. (0:14:02) Kevin: It’s so good. There’s an online mode where you can bring your creative characters. You can have your freak matches. It’s great. (0:14:10) Kevin: Everything about that game is fantastic. The presentation, the music, the online play works great. I rarely have any bad connections for matches. (0:14:22) Kevin: I’m the character I picked up. Her name is Manon. She is a French supermodel. (0:14:32) Kevin: She is also a judo wrestler. She throws all of that in her move. She does struts, she does pirouettes, and she’ll grow you around. (0:14:40) Kevin: She’s very fun to play. That’s what I’ve been up to. (0:14:44) Kevin: Alright, Senor Al, what about you? (0:14:48) Al: Not a huge amount. It’s been a weird week, but I’ve been playing a bit of a Highland song. So for Micah, probably, who isn’t aware, it’s a platforming game based in the Scottish Highlands, and part of it is rhythm based. And it’s absolutely gorgeous. It has great music. The story is really good, and I don’t play games with the sound on, but I… (0:15:18) Al: can’t play this game with the sound off. Like, it’s just even outside of the rhythm, but it’s just so good. Yeah. Like, a Highland song. And it’s fantastic. So, okay, yeah, (0:15:30) Kevin: Okay, what are the rhythm portions like, because I know it was the Scottish game, but I don’t know what it’s like. (0:15:36) Al: okay. That’s a fair question. That’s a fair question. So, to preamble to that, the idea is that you’ve got all these mountains, and you’re climbing over them, and you’re trying (0:15:48) Al: to get to specific points. And there are places in the game where, as you are walking, (0:15:54) Al: it will tell you to press B to run. And then as you’re running across a terrain, there are things in the way, and the rhythm bit is you have to press it in time to the music to keep going and jump over the rhythm. (0:16:08) Kevin: Okay, that’s fascinating. Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rhythm platformer in the (0:16:19) Micah: This is beautiful. (0:16:20) Al: Right. Right. And the best thing is, so when you’re standing on, when you’re standing on a hill in the game and you can see all of the hills around you, all of those hills are hills you can go to in the game. (0:16:32) Kevin: Oh wow, that’s nice. (0:16:34) Micah: Wow. Yeah, this is a really pretty game. I’ve never heard of this. (0:16:38) Al: Yeah, it’s really I’m loving it. It’s great. Yeah, yeah, I came out a couple weeks ago. (0:16:39) Micah: Is it new? (0:16:44) Al: But it’s fantastic. And all the Scottish accents are legitimate. So no terrible Shrek voices. (0:16:50) Kevin: But, I mean, come on, don’t you want at least one Shrek in there? (0:16:52) Al: No, no, no. Definitely not. Never, never, never. Shrek is fine in Shrek. Not outside. (0:16:56) Micah: No, that was a very immediate no. (0:17:00) Micah: No, no, no, no, no, no. (0:17:00) Kevin: Ah, fair enough. (0:17:06) Al: We have enough fake Scottish. (0:17:08) Al: Voices in the world, there are very few things where we actually get proper Scottish voices. (0:17:13) Al: So it’s nice to actually hear some. (0:17:14) Kevin: Fair enough. (0:17:15) Kevin: Is David Tennant in it? (0:17:17) Al: I don’t think so, no. (0:17:18) Kevin: the- I’m sorry. That’s a missed (0:17:21) Al: His voice, there was something, I can’t remember what it was I was watching the other day and I was like, “Oh, that’s David Tennant.” Like I always, anytime I hear him doing his normal voice, (0:17:29) Al: it’s like such a distinctive voice for me that I’m like, “Oh.” It’s like, (0:17:33) Al: Every so often, somebody learns that David Tennant is Scrooge McDuck. (0:17:38) Al: And they’re like, “What? How’s David Tennant?” I’m like, “How could you not tell? His voice is just so distinctly his voice.” (0:17:39) Kevin: Yeah, yeah. (0:17:40) Kevin: - That’s… (0:17:47) Kevin: I, I didn’t know, I mean, I, I watched, I’m a big fan of the reboot of DuckTales, but I didn’t know it was David Tennant till a little bit in. (0:17:48) Al: Maybe that’s a Scottish thing, I don’t know. (0:17:57) Kevin: Um, and I didn’t realize he was Scottish. (0:17:59) Kevin: That’s, it’s really funny. (0:18:00) Al: Yeah, he’s not putting on a voice. He’s slightly emphasizing it, but that’s basically just his voice. (0:18:04) Kevin: Yeah, sure. (0:18:06) Al: Yeah, don’t do that again, Kevin. (0:18:06) Kevin: I like how he says “Gad-age” in the first episode. (0:18:09) Kevin: I always remember that one. (0:18:13) Kevin: That’s how he says it. (0:18:17) Al: So yeah, I’ve mostly been playing that and also been playing Pokemon because of the Flubbebe outbreaks, as I said, in the show notes. (0:18:27) Micah: Oh, that’s right (0:18:30) Al: baby baby. (0:18:31) Micah: Forgot that was going on. I forget it’s uh, well baby now and then (0:18:39) Kevin: Milsory in the (0:18:42) Al: So it’s current Flababy in Poldea. It is… no, it is not. It is Litwick in Kitakami. (0:18:48) Kevin: 3 in Kitikami. (0:18:52) Micah: Mmm. Yeah, because milsry is not in the game. (0:18:53) Al: Milcery isn’t in the game yet. Milcery will be in the Blueberry Academy when it comes out. So that’s why it’s not Milcery yet. It’s because it’s in the new region in the DLC. I think it’s just called the Blueberry Academy. Yeah. (0:19:01) Kevin: I haven’t gotten the DLC yet. (0:19:05) Micah: So just the new region, do we know what the new region is called? (0:19:07) Micah: Other than just, it’s the Blueberry Academy, is it just Blueberry Academy? (0:19:10) Kevin: That’s it. (0:19:11) Kevin: Yeah, it’s like an- it’s a- yeah, it’s part of- it’s Unovan territory, I guess, I know, (0:19:16) Kevin: but it’s like an artificial island sort of thing. (0:19:20) Al: Yeah, they call it like the. (0:19:21) Kevin: Terrarium. (0:19:24) Kevin: Yeah. (0:19:26) Micah: means I almost fear honest I mean it’s the like vibe that I got from it when I yeah we’ll see it’s always we’ll see (0:19:26) Kevin: Yeah. (0:19:28) Al: Yeah, it is pretty much, hopefully less evil, but we’ll see. (0:19:29) Kevin: now. (0:19:31) Kevin: Yeah, [LAUGH] I might get the DLC finally, the trit look. (0:19:40) Al: Oh, they are calling it the ceranium. (0:19:42) Al: They are calling it. (0:19:44) Micah: I was just recently finishing up my Pokedex, my like living decks in Violet in preparation for the DLC, but (0:19:57) Micah: there’s a lot of just figuring out how to who I knew who had the other Sinnoh starters, because you only get the like one egg. (0:20:11) Micah: And it’s dependent on, I guess, dependent on what starter you picked for. (0:20:15) Micah: For scarlet or violet. (0:20:16) Al: I think it was, or maybe it was random, I can’t- (0:20:20) Micah: I feel like it was, yeah, it seemed like from trying to track down where I would find a Piplup, it was, it was through like deduction power, the power of deduction (0:20:34) Micah: through who had what starter from the, from Paldea. (0:20:38) Micah: So I don’t know if that’s actually the case or not, but that’s, that’s how I managed to figure out who had. (0:20:44) Al: Yeah, I could probably find out if I cared enough. (0:20:52) Al: I mean, I still like, I don’t, I’m still enjoying it and I’m really looking forward to the new DLC, but Kevin, you don’t need to play it. (0:21:00) Al: You can just not. (0:21:02) Micah: It’s true. It’s true. I will say that I felt. (0:21:02) Kevin: Look, I’m– (0:21:09) Micah: I think we talked about this the last time I was on, actually. (0:21:10) Al: We did. (0:21:12) Al: We had a whole greenhouse episode about it. (0:21:14) Micah: I finally finished the DLC, the first DLC, because that was the right. (0:21:18) Al: Oh, yes. (0:21:19) Al: Yes. (0:21:19) Al: Cause you hadn’t finished it when we did the greenhouse. (0:21:21) Micah: And that is like rare for me, because I I go (0:21:25) Micah: pretty hard into Pokemon stuff when it launches for the first time. (0:21:28) Micah: So to not do that is kind of a new. (0:21:32) Micah: New and weird thing for me, but I finally finished it and I did enjoy it, but I did feel that it was a very, I don’t know, I just, I’ve, I’m still feeling like I’ve kind of become disillusioned with modern Pokemon to some degree, but. (0:21:49) Kevin: I mean and okay like to not I’m you know, I (0:21:54) Kevin: Notoriously nag on the game, but to pull the veil down a little to be you the more genuine here. I (0:22:00) Kevin: Do think the trailer for the upcoming one part looks good. I’m a bit excited for what I see (0:22:07) Kevin: the only part that (0:22:08) Al: Careful. (0:22:10) Kevin: Yeah, I know the only part that really irritates me is the flying thing how it’s locked behind the DLC because (0:22:18) Al: Yeah, I agree (0:22:19) Kevin: It’s just with knowing how the development cycle works and the timing of everything. It feels very intentional. They put bad flying (0:22:28) Al: Well, here’s the thing, I don’t care if it’s like, “Oh, we couldn’t get it done in time for release,” right? (0:22:34) Al: You still don’t have to lock it behind the DLC. (0:22:34) Kevin: Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Okay. But. (0:22:36) Al: They have updates. (0:22:37) Al: Every game has updates when there’s DLCs. (0:22:40) Al: So you absolutely don’t need to. (0:22:41) Al: It’s absolutely a very specific choice to lock that quality of life feature behind a purchase and that is bad and we should absolutely call that out. (0:22:49) Al: It’s not going to stop me buying the game though. (0:22:52) Micah: Yeah, I’m kind of in the same position. (0:22:56) Micah: I think there’s a lot of stuff that could just generally as far as the development cycle goes could have been changed for the better. (0:23:10) Micah: I had mentioned a little bit the like one time I’ve been on Twitter in the last like month after they talked about the they released. (0:23:22) Micah: It’s the new trailer this last week, I think. (0:23:24) Al: Yeah. (0:23:25) Micah: And they showed off the the like Pokemon control mode. (0:23:30) Micah: I forgot what they call it, but you can control the sync mode where you can control the Pokemon and run around as the Pokemon. (0:23:32) Al: Oh, yes, yeah, synchronize. Yeah. (0:23:32) Kevin: The sync mode thing. (0:23:40) Micah: And it seemingly has not much of a like use case other than you can battle Pokemon, but you just run around as a Pokemon. (0:23:50) Micah: And that to me, it. (0:23:52) Micah: Immediately, like I’d think back to when the games first came out and how much like disgruntledness there was with certain elements of the design that the games design, like how you couldn’t go into any of the houses. (0:24:09) Micah: But then they, you know, when they clipped out of bounds, then they found that there were like half designed internal locations like you could have gone into. (0:24:20) Micah: but it was very clear that they ran. (0:24:22) Micah: Out of time in the development cycle, just couldn’t, uh, so there are things like that where like I, it makes me feel like sync mode. (0:24:29) Micah: It was something that they just ran out of time on. (0:24:32) Al: So that’s possible, but I also think it could be along the lines of, like, let’s go Pikachu and Eevee to Legends, where we saw a clear direction they were moving. (0:24:43) Al: And it’s not necessarily, like, I don’t think anyone would say that the catching in Let’s Go was the way it was because they didn’t have enough time to do what they ended up doing in Legends, but it was more like a kind of moving in that kind of direction. (0:24:57) Al: And we see this with a lot of things in Pokémon where they do that, where it’s like, it’s It’s just a, it’s a. (0:25:02) Al: You’re prerequisite and the kind of like the game, it’s not like here’s a game, let’s build a game. Here’s another game. Let’s build another game, right? Like they’re constantly doing all these different things in these different games and having these different ideas. And that’s true. (0:25:04) Kevin: Yeah, baby steps. (0:25:16) Kevin: These I don’t think these are mutually exclusive either like (0:25:16) Micah: I think that I think that that I agree with that that makes sense. (0:25:22) Micah: But I do feel like there is a level of like (0:25:26) Micah: half baked development process for some of these things. (0:25:30) Micah: And I I am willing to, you know, give (0:25:30) Kevin: Oh, oh, they’re deaf at least. (0:25:34) Micah: well, for like like you said, for let’s go. (0:25:37) Micah: I think the the catch feature for let’s go was meant to more mimic Pokemon. (0:25:41) Micah: Go like it was very clearly there, like (0:25:46) Micah: the motion point between the main games and Pokemon go so that. (0:25:51) Micah: You know, catching style was intended to feel like I mean, it does feel like especially the motion control portion feels like Pokemon go. (0:25:52) Al: I mean, kind of, kind of, but I also like, with then we got only a few years later, legends, (0:26:05) Al: like it feels like it was what they kind of wanted to move towards and they were trying different things and this is what they ended up with. I don’t think it was just like, oh, (0:26:15) Al: let’s just make Pokemon go in a main series game. Like, I think it was, you know, they (0:26:22) Al: had a game which was legends where you were actually running around and literally just throwing Pokeballs at Pokemon, right? But, look, it’s not, yeah, I mean, it does show a flaw in how they developed their games and that these were almost certainly developed in parallel and therefore you can’t know what’s going to be popular and what’s going to end up working really well before you do it the next one. Yeah, I don’t disagree with you. (0:26:30) Kevin: And then they said, “Let’s go backwards at the next game.” (0:26:52) Al: I want that again. But anyway, we don’t need to keep talking about Pokemon. Let’s move on, shall we? This happens every couple of months we end up on another Scarlet and Violet delve. It did, it did. It did, but, you know, I need to save some of my Pokemon talk for a different podcast. Anyway, it’s, wow. Wow. (0:27:03) Kevin: But the trailer just came out. It was… it was gonna- (0:27:16) Kevin: We’re doing a worst games of the year pocket. (0:27:22) Al: Anyway, that’s what we’ve been up to. And I’m glad that we got a good half an hour out of that because there is no news because this is recorded out of time. Because I don’t know about you guys, but I did not want to record this on, you know, Hogman A. So we’re recording it a few weeks early. (0:27:46) Kevin: Where’s your dedication out? (0:27:49) Micah: What do you have things to do geez [laughs] (0:27:52) Al: So yes, yes, I do. So we are here to discuss our favourite games of the year and hopefully come to a conclusion on what the podcast’s game of the year is. So begins the part of the podcast where I read a bunch of words. So I am going to go down all of the games that were released this year. And at what point does this become ridiculous? I don’t know is this the most (0:28:22) Al: games we’ve had released in a year since we started the podcast? (0:28:24) Al: Yes, it absolutely is. (0:28:24) Kevin: Probably. (0:28:26) Al: Absolutely insane. (0:28:27) Al: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, nine. (0:28:29) Kevin: More than three, I’ll tell you that. (0:28:31) Kevin: I didn’t know Homestead Arcana- (0:28:32) Al: So 30, 30, 30 games, (0:28:36) Al: 31, 30, 35 games, and then one, two, three, four, five, six, seven released (0:28:42) Al: into Early Access. So was that 42, 42 games in this list? (0:28:47) Al: So this is the first list is the list of (0:28:50) Al: that were released. (0:28:52) Al: Not into early access and they previously weren’t in early access. (0:28:56) Al: This is brand new games this year. (0:28:58) Al: Brand new games not early access. (0:29:00) Al: I don’t know why I overcomplicated this, but here this is what we’re doing. (0:29:04) Al: So this is Above Snakes, Before the Green Moon, Everdream Valley, Fae Farm, Farming Simulator 23, Flutter Away, Garden Buddies, Garden Inn, Harvest Moon, The Winds of Anthos, Homestead Arcana, Enchanted, Loddle Knot, (0:29:20) Al: Maneko’s Night Market. (0:29:22) Al: And this is me just double-taking. (0:29:48) Micah: Now if you thought that was it. (0:29:52) Kevin: I’m gonna feel bad when one of the real games of the year is in here and the ones that I didn’t play. (0:29:52) Al: Well, this is part of the problem. (0:30:00) Al: So next we have five games that were released in 1.0 this year and early access a previous year. (0:30:07) Al: OK, so they were already out, but they came to their 1.0. (0:30:11) Al: They left early access this year. (0:30:13) Al: That’s a better way of describing it. (0:30:14) Al: These games left early access this year. (0:30:16) Al: And we have Icone Island, Mindrop, Sunhaven, Coral– (0:30:22) Al: Island, and Disney Dreamlight Valley. (0:30:24) Al: And then we have the list of seven games that came into early access this year. (0:30:28) Al: And that is Cornucopia, Fabledom, Moonlight in Garland, One Lonely Outpost, (0:30:35) Al: Research Story, Song of the Prairie, and Snacko. (0:30:39) Al: Hey, Micah, is this the first time you’re learning that Snacko’s in early access? (0:30:42) Al: Or did you know that already? (0:30:43) Micah: Uh, no, yesterday when I opened Notion was the first time I learned this neck wasn’t really (0:30:50) Al: Well, surprise! (0:30:52) Al: in early access now. (0:30:55) Micah: I have I’ve played the betas or the alphas, sorry. (0:31:01) Micah: And I have decided that I don’t want to do much more with the game until it (0:31:10) Micah: they get a full release because I love it. (0:31:13) Micah: love it so far and I don’t want to overdo it. (0:31:16) Kevin: Yep, don’t burn yourself out on it. I know somebody who was a big fan of Hades, but they only played in the Early Access and they burned themselves out. (0:31:23) Micah: I don’t think I could burn myself out on it really as much as it’s just that like, I don’t want to miss out like because I backed it. And I want to, I don’t know, experience the full experience I’ve experienced so much of it at this point. (0:31:38) Al: I think that’s fair. I got to the same point with Coral Island last year where I was like, (0:31:43) Al: “And now I’m going to put it down into 1.0.” But I mean, that was like 40 hours or 50 hours or something like that. It was more than I play a lot of games, you know? And I didn’t feel like playing that much ruined the experience for me when I came to the final version, because I’ve put in more than… I’m up to 100 hours now in that game. So I think it depends on the game. (0:31:55) Micah: Mm-hmm. (0:32:07) Al: Uhh. (0:32:07) Al: Ah. (0:32:08) Al: But that is a fair point. (0:32:11) Al: I have not decided what I’m going to do with Snacko. (0:32:14) Al: I’ve not decided yet. (0:32:16) Kevin: Why did nobody tell me homestead arcana came out? I would have played it, I missed that. (0:32:21) Al: Kevin! (0:32:23) Kevin: I’ve been here. (0:32:24) Micah: Have I got news for you. (0:32:29) Al: Kevin, you literally, we literally have a shared list of all of these games and when they coming out, you can look at it all the time and I’m constantly updating it just to let you know that is a thing. (0:32:31) Kevin: Well, hey. (0:32:42) Kevin: You assume I read these even when we’re recording. (0:32:43) Al: Nope, I don’t assume that at all, but I will complain about it. (0:32:49) Al: So any thoughts before we get into listing our favorite games, any thoughts on the list as a whole? (0:32:56) Al: Here we go. (0:32:56) Kevin: Umm… (0:32:57) Kevin: Ugh… (0:32:58) Micah: It’s a good list (0:32:59) Kevin: It’s a very good list. It’s too good. (0:33:01) Micah: It’s a strong list that I (0:33:06) Micah: when I opened this this document and looked at it I was a (0:33:11) Micah: Surprised that so many games had come out this year and be a little bit (0:33:17) Micah: Concerned about how few of these games I actually played (0:33:20) Kevin: Exactly! (0:33:22) Kevin: Alright, time to strike out all the ones none of us have played. (0:33:26) Al: Yeah, no, that’s fair. And I think it is interesting, right? Because like, I’ve now been tracking these games. I think I have all of the farming games that have released ever now in my list. (0:33:36) Al: And so that’s 47 this year. Last year, there were 24. In 2021, there were 15. In 2020, (0:33:46) Al: there were nine. In 2019, there were 13. And then we’ve got like, between 2016 and 2018, (0:33:54) Al: were 16. (0:33:56) Al: So that’s like a three-year span, and they were the same number as they were in 2021. (0:34:03) Al: And then 2010 to 2015, there were 12 of them, half of which were just farming simulator, (0:34:10) Kevin: Yeah. (0:34:10) Al: and the other half were just harvest moon. (0:34:13) Al: That’s not true. (0:34:16) Al: There were three harvest moons, two rune factories in one story of seasons, and an animal crossing. (0:34:21) Al: So the rest were farming simulator. (0:34:23) Al: And then the five years before that, there were 17. (0:34:26) Al: It is wild that Stardew Valley is eight years old in February, just saying. (0:34:36) Kevin: Yup, thanks Stardew Valley. (0:34:43) Kevin: You changed the whole landscape of the genre of gaming, thanks. (0:34:50) Kevin: I thought it was older, to be honest. (0:34:53) Al: No, 2016. (0:34:56) Al: Right. (0:34:56) Al: Well, I mean, shall we get right into it then? (0:34:59) Al: Let’s go for one each around, what should we do around the table? (0:35:04) Al: One each. (0:35:04) Kevin: All right. (0:35:05) Al: And we can tell, say what the game is and tell me why you’ve got it in the list. (0:35:12) Al: And we’re not doing, no, it’s a terrible game. (0:35:15) Al: So Micah, would you like to go with your first one? (0:35:18) Micah: Uhhh… Can I go with my wildcard first? (0:35:20) Al: You can, you can go in whatever order you want. (0:35:22) Al: If you want to leave your strongest for last, go for it. (0:35:25) Al: if you want to start with your strong. (0:35:26) Al: Go for it if you want to do your crazy one first, do what you want. (0:35:29) Micah: I’m going to get my wild card out of the way because I know that it’s not going to go very far so. (0:35:31) Al: Let’s go for it. (0:35:34) Al: Never assume these things, you have no idea what’s going to happen. (0:35:37) Micah: OK, that’s true. You’re right. My my. (0:35:37) Kevin: I, I, yep, I. (0:35:39) Al: Oh wait, before we get into that, let me just quickly. (0:35:45) Al: I want to go through what we have had as our games of the year in the past. (0:35:51) Al: Last year, Ooblets won. (0:35:54) Al: 2022, Ooblets won. (0:35:57) Al: But it did. (0:35:58) Al: 2021 was Spiritfarer. (0:36:01) Al: 2020 was Summer in Mara. (0:36:04) Al: And 2019 was the Raymon Story of Seasons. (0:36:07) Kevin: Wildflower was robbed. (0:36:09) Micah: What year was Wildflowers? (0:36:11) Kevin: I don’t I (0:36:11) Micah: Oh. I mean. (0:36:11) Al: Yeah, Wildflowers last year. (0:36:13) Micah: Ooblitz though. (0:36:16) Al: None of the three of us had played it. (0:36:18) Al: And Kevin, you hadn’t played it by that point either. (0:36:20) Al: So… (0:36:21) Micah: Also- Also Ooblitz is- (0:36:21) Kevin: That is correct. (0:36:26) Al: Ooblets was the only… (0:36:27) Al: Well, you hadn’t played Ooblets, but me and Bev had. (0:36:30) Micah: Yes. (0:36:31) Al: And you had a wild card last year as well. (0:36:33) Al: So what’s your wild card this year? (0:36:35) Micah: What was my wildcard last year? (0:36:37) Al: Shinshan Summer Vacation. (0:36:38) Micah: Oh, I mean, that is actually I still stand by that. (0:36:44) Al: Look, I’m not saying it’s a bat, I’m just saying. (0:36:46) Al: Like it was a little bit out of life field, (0:36:47) Al: neither of us had heard of that game before you brought it up. (0:36:50) Micah: Well, let me tell you about my wildcard for this year, which I guarantee you have heard of. (0:36:55) Micah: There is absolutely no scenario where you have not heard of this game. (0:37:00) Micah: Are you ready? (0:37:02) Kevin: Is it the princess game? (0:37:03) Micah: It is Fortnite. (0:37:07) Al: OK, why? (0:37:08) Al: OK, so you– wait, no, no, right. (0:37:10) Al: OK, so, Micah, you’re telling me that over the past three days, (0:37:12) Micah: Uh-huh. Yeah. (0:37:16) Micah: Yes. (0:37:17) Al: you have played this game enough to consider it one of your favourite games of the year? (0:37:20) Micah: I would say that there’s a reason that it’s a wild card. (0:37:27) Micah: And I would say that it is probably the reason that it’s in my list is not because I would (0:37:33) Micah: personally consider it one of my favorite games of the year. (0:37:36) Micah: But I think that it is a very important bridge (0:37:42) Micah: for the wider Fortnite audience, which is massive, into the world of farming sims. (0:37:50) Al: Well, we will have talked about it in a previous episode, so. (0:37:50) Kevin: And hey, if we let them win… (0:37:52) Micah: For anybody that is confused by this and doesn’t understand why Fortnite is part of this conversation, (0:37:59) Micah: they just released… (0:38:02) Micah: Yes, the Fortnite, the LEGO Fortnite mode has been released as of three days ago. So… (0:38:10) Al: And for some reason, it’s basically Minecraft, but with more farming. It’s wild! (0:38:10) Kevin: Minecraft for tonight. (0:38:12) Micah: Yes, and also as Legos, and it’s in Fortnite. (0:38:15) Kevin: Yeah. (0:38:18) Micah: I don’t really know if there’s aside from skins and characters, there’s not. (0:38:21) Kevin: Wait, is it actually Lego brand? Lego? What? Holy moly. (0:38:24) Al: It is, it is. (0:38:25) Micah: Yes, it’s actually Lego brand. (0:38:28) Micah: And it’s you are just building Lego, (0:38:30) Micah: like a Lego like homestead basically of a village in the wild. (0:38:36) Kevin: That’s… (0:38:37) Micah: It’s essentially a survival, it’s more of a survival game than it is like (0:38:42) Kevin: Mm-hmm. (0:38:42) Micah: a farming sim. (0:38:43) Micah: So it’s more like you gotta eat and you gotta, there is, (0:38:44) Kevin: It’s all Minecraft. (0:38:44) Al: Yeah, but there does seem to be a decent amount of farming in it. (0:38:49) Micah: there is a decent amount of farming in it. (0:38:51) Micah: And I’ll say that I have played quite a bit of it because the team that I work with has been very into it. (0:38:59) Micah: So, and prior to that coming out, we had all been playing Ark, (0:39:06) Al: » Okay. Yeah. (0:39:06) Micah: the dinosaur survival game. (0:39:09) Micah: So we had a server that we were playing that on. (0:39:11) Micah: So when a new survive. (0:39:12) Micah: Survival type game released and it’s Fortnite and it’s free and it’s Lego then we were like, okay, well, let’s play this instead so we have been playing quite a bit of it and it’s I was a little bit shocked at how good of an experience it is because it’s it it’s just odd because it’s got other than the skins and the characters there’s and I guess the the game that it that you access it from there’s nothing related to Fortnite really it’s super obvious. (0:39:19) Al: suck (0:39:44) Al: No. Well, I think your character is in the beginning based on the main, the base Fortnite playable character, right? Yeah. It’s not Fortnite. It’s not Fortnite at all. So a couple of things I found interesting about this. So first of all, it made me realize that Fortnite is not just Fortnite anymore, right? Like Fortnite was just a battle royale, but that is just one of eight different game modes, right? Absolutely wild to me. (0:39:52) Micah: Yes. Yeah. So aside from the characters, I mean, it’s it’s really there’s not a lot of no, it’s not a (0:40:06) Kevin: Oh, it hasn’t been for a while. (0:40:08) Micah: Yeah. Right. (0:40:14) Al: That’s the point now. And second of all, not only is this, it’s like, it’s not just Fortnite, but Lego. It’s Fortnite, but Lego, if they made it Minecraft, but with more farming. (0:40:30) Al: And I am just, it’s just so fascinating. So I haven’t played a huge amount of it. I’ve downloaded it and I’ve started playing it and I’ve kind of done the first couple of things. And it’s not really grabbing me. I don’t think I’m going to spend a huge amount of time on it, but I think (0:40:44) Al: so. Minecraft, when we covered Minecraft on the podcast, it was, it was a bit of a stretch, (0:40:48) Al: right? There is farming, but it’s very limited. It’s like, it was four crops or something. There might be more now. Minecraft has done a lot since then, but it felt like a bit of a stretch. (0:40:58) Micah: Yeah, there is a significant differences between, you know, yeah, there’s quite a bit to do in Fortnite now, or in Minecraft, I mean. (0:41:05) Al: Yeah, but this feels like a legit farming game, but it’s not cottagecore. It’s survival farming game. (0:41:06) Kevin: Minecraft has not stopped growing, they do annual updates. (0:41:16) Micah: Mm hmm. (0:41:19) Micah: Yeah, so I guess it kind of it also is a little bit of like how you play it. (0:41:24) Micah: So like, granted, there is a survival aspect that needs to be taken care of. (0:41:29) Micah: But depending on who you’re playing with or the the you know, (0:41:32) Micah: there is a like peaceful mode that you can do similar to what Minecraft had, (0:41:36) Al: That’s a good point. (0:41:36) Micah: where it’s not really you don’t have to play the survival mode. (0:41:40) Micah: You can play it just for the sake of like, you know, (0:41:43) Micah: the kind of like sandbox aspect of it. (0:41:46) Micah: Where you’re building stuff and doing whatever you want. (0:41:46) Kevin: farming and whatnot. (0:41:48) Micah: Yeah. (0:41:49) Micah: But, you know, like with my group, I’m not as big into the survival aspects of it. (0:41:54) Micah: Like I don’t particularly care about, you know, min maxing food and water and so on and so forth. (0:42:01) Micah: I’m more into the like building and designing and, you know, farming and that stuff. (0:42:07) Micah: So I kind of take on that role while everybody else takes on the survival portion of it. (0:42:14) Micah: So there are different ways. (0:42:16) Micah: Is to be able to play it that make it a little bit more of like a comfortable experience. (0:42:22) Micah: I mean, I literally built a cottage, so I don’t know, you know. (0:42:25) Al: Yeah, that’s, I think that’s totally fair. I guess my point of what I was saying was, (0:42:26) Kevin: Nice. Well, there you go. (0:42:31) Al: was like, I think this is much more legitimate as a farming game than Minecraft was when, (0:42:38) Al: when we covered it. So I think it’s, it’s totally fair to count this as a farming game. (0:42:39) Micah: Right. (0:42:40) Kevin: Yeah. (0:42:42) Al: So maybe I should add it into the list as Lego Fortnite. Um, but here’s a question for you. Does this make Fortnite the most downloaded farming game ever? (0:42:44) Kevin: Oh, there you go. (0:42:54) Micah: That’s why I I’ve included it because I think it is important touchstone in the history of farming games where it (0:42:54) Kevin: Absolutely. (0:43:05) Micah: There’s a possibility I can see a world in which people who play this (0:43:10) Micah: Enjoy it enjoy the like farming aspects of it want more of that and branch out into other farming type games (0:43:17) Micah: because there is such a broad audience for fortnight that (0:43:21) Micah: You know and it’s there’s such a broad (0:43:24) Micah: Audience for Lego - that there is a good (0:43:30) Micah: Possibility that it creates more farming game fans, which I’m all for (0:43:35) Al: I’ve added it into the list and also I need to add one more that I forgot, which was Hello Kitty Island Adventure. (0:43:42) Kevin: Oh, yeah, well (0:43:42) Micah: I did see that that was missing from the list and I didn’t know if that was intentional or not so it just… (0:43:46) Al: Oh, you should have brought it up. Come on. (0:43:46) Kevin: Glaring a bit omission this entire show is a sham (0:43:51) Al: Look, look, we’re now up to 49 games, right? I’m sorry, I can’t keep track of the ball. (0:43:56) Kevin: It’s quick Somebody find one more quick Um one well, you know though what we have to do is we have to let fortnite win (0:44:03) Kevin: So we can get that sponsorship money. Welcome to the harvest season of fortnite podcast (0:44:06) Micah: - It’s true. (0:44:09) Micah: Of Fortnite, but I never, I just did not ever foresee (0:44:15) Micah: there being a scenario where in the farming game of the year discussion or just in general on a harvest season episode that I would be bringing up Fortnite in a like semi-serious way. (0:44:26) Kevin: Yeah, one thing I will I haven’t played Fortnite ever, but from what I understand, every time they bring in these new distinct modes or gameplay elements, it’s always very polished and good quality. (0:44:44) Kevin: Like they brought in Spider-Man swinging and Attack on Titan, so I’m not surprised that this is high quality and that’s a lot of money being thrown at this Lego money, Fortnite money. (0:44:57) Al: Alright, well, you’re probably right, it’s probably not going to win, but it’s there, (0:45:02) Al: it’s in the list, not many games get into the list. So, there we go. No, into the list of the two, there’s only nine. It’s only nine. Alright, Kevin, what’s your first? (0:45:06) Kevin: Nope just 48 others. Oh (0:45:10) Kevin: Our list, okay (0:45:15) Kevin: My first one I’m going to go with (0:45:19) Kevin: Manekos night market a shocker to everyone the game I’ve been pining for for how many years now. Oh (0:45:27) Kevin: gosh (0:45:28) Al: Like five, like maybe six. (0:45:31) Kevin: Yeah, I don’t know something like (0:45:32) Al: I think it was six years ago it was first. (0:45:33) Kevin: well (0:45:36) Kevin: Yeah, I think it’s I’ve the fact that I waited that long and still was happy with what came out I think is a testament to how good the game is (0:45:48) Kevin: Obviously, I haven’t played all these other games and it probably not even the ones on your guys list but I (0:45:54) Kevin: Out of the ones I see here. I probably I would argue it has the most personality and charm (0:46:02) Kevin: the art, the sort of craft book art. (0:46:06) Kevin: It has gone very, very enjoyable. (0:46:10) Kevin: I haven’t beaten it myself, right? (0:46:12) Kevin: It loses some points because it came out with a handful of bugs and rough edges. (0:46:18) Kevin: But it’s still a game that makes me smile every time. (0:46:24) Kevin: So yeah, I gotta give a shout out to Maneko because I think it actually did deliver. (0:46:30) Kevin: Um, obviously, you know, it’s not the scale of tears that– (0:46:36) Kevin: Kingdom waiting six years for that or whatever, but for the get what it set out to be from all the trailers and whatnot, I think it delivered. It’s very cute, which I appreciate now. I have cats myself. Yeah. (0:46:48) Al: Yeah, totally fair, and it is still the wallpaper on my phone and has been for like seven months, (0:46:57) Kevin: Yeah, there you go. Also actually one thing I (0:47:01) Kevin: Yeah, that’s the good stuff (0:47:04) Kevin: one thing I do want to add (0:47:06) Kevin: Go on as we talked about in the episode. We talked about it. Um, the (0:47:11) Kevin: titular night market part of it is very fun (0:47:15) Kevin: Auctioning going into little bid war with customers to sell who and make profits and whatnot (0:47:20) Kevin: I don’t think a lot of these other games are focused on that like making money (0:47:26) Kevin: So that was (0:47:27) Kevin: a refreshing angle approaching the whole cottagecore thing. (0:47:32) Kevin: And again, just very fun points for that. (0:47:36) Al: Awesome. (0:47:36) Micah: Uh, I, are, are we just for the sake of the structure? (0:47:43) Micah: Are we just going through our picks and then discussing them or are we? (0:47:48) Al: If you have more to talk about that game just now, then feel free. (0:47:53) Al: We don’t need to discuss whether it’s the winner yet or not. (0:47:55) Micah: Sure, uh, oh (0:47:55) Al: And don’t say whether it’s on your list yet or not. (0:47:56) Kevin: Yeah. (0:47:58) Al: We’ll get to that. (0:47:59) Micah: Okay, I (0:48:00) Kevin: Alright. (0:48:03) Kevin: Michael, what’s next on your list? (0:48:03) Al: Right, we don’t want to look, Micah, we have a collapsed list for the suspense. (0:48:05) Micah: Didn’t didn’t say one way or another (0:48:05) Kevin: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Ow, ow. (0:48:11) Al: We’re keeping the suspense, even if it might really be obvious now. (0:48:12) Micah: Okay, you’re right you’re right you’re right (0:48:14) Kevin: Alright. (0:48:16) Micah: It’s not though cuz I’m changing it at the moment I’m typing no, I’m just kidding [laughing] (0:48:18) Al: All right. I’ll go with my wild card. No, no, come on. I’m going with my wild card, (0:48:24) Kevin: Alright, ow. (0:48:26) Kevin

This week on NintenDomain, we talk about the new patent that suggests that maybe Nintendo is making a new 3DS or just making the Switch 2 have two screens. We also talk about Mario Party 3, Cult of the Lamb, Super Mario Bros., and how Atari will eventually buy everything. Support the show and get bonus episodes at: www.patreon.com/nintendomainpodcast Music: Intro: Castle of Murasame: Castle Town Mario Party Time: Mario Party 3: The Adventure Begins Break 1: Cult of the Lamb: Start a Cult Break 2: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life: Song of the Gentle Breeze Outro: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life: A Pleasure House for Adults Topic Times: 00:02:23 Got Item:  Super Mario Bros. Wonder Phantom Liberty Jackbox 00:35:19 Mario Party 3 00:46:03 Cult of the Lamb XIII Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life 01:04:55 Weekly Nintendo News      

It's a short cast this week as we talk Story of Seasons, War Groove 2, Forza, and some cool new Magic decks. Timestamps: 4:18 - War Groove 2 7:20 - Forza Motorsport 24:44 - Magic the Gathering Doctor Who commander decks 49:00 - Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

Al talks about Sprout Valley Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:48: What Have We Been Up To 00:21:54: News 00:44:42: Sprout Valley 01:09:13: Outro Links Disney Dreamlight Valley Enchanted Adventure Update Above Snakes 1.3.0 Update APICO 3.0 Update Everdream Valley Roadmap Coral Island Charity DLC 2 Moonstone Island Collectors Edition Spirittea Dev Update Ooblets Plushes Eastward Octopia Japanese Rural Life Simulator Sprout Valley on Steam Sprout Valley on Switch Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript [00:00.000 –> 00:26.700] This video is made using the [00:30.400 –> 00:37.840] Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. My name is Al. I’m Kevin [00:37.840 –> 00:45.280] and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. Before we get into it, [00:45.280 –> 00:50.280] transcripts are available in the show notes and on the website. Get them if you want them. [00:50.280 –> 00:59.400] Kevin, how you doing? Yeah, I’m doing okay. Well, I mean, this is probably where, [00:59.400 –> 01:05.140] where we mentioned that we had just recorded a greenhouse episode before this. So if this is [01:05.140 –> 01:10.000] low energy, that was much longer than we were. I was like, this is going to be like a 20 minute [01:10.000 –> 01:14.960] episode. And then 20 minutes, 20 minutes in, we were just stopping talking about Spiderman. [01:14.960 –> 01:23.040] Yeah, there’s some real dumb stuff in that greenhouse. But that’s okay, I’m hyping myself, [01:23.040 –> 01:27.680] I’m bringing plenty of dumb stuff to this podcast episode recording too. [01:27.680 –> 01:32.720] All right, so in this episode, I am going to talk about Sprout Valley because I have [01:32.720 –> 01:36.440] been playing that and presumably Kevin will have some dumb questions for me. [01:36.440 –> 01:37.760] Yeah, I will. [01:37.760 –> 01:43.520] Yeah, so we’re gonna talk about that and there’s a whole bunch of news. Most of [01:43.560 –> 01:47.640] reasonably small pieces of news, but there’s some chunky stuff as well. We’ll get into that. [01:47.640 –> 01:50.760] But first of all, Kevin, what have you been up to? [01:50.760 –> 01:58.520] Oh, okay. Actually, nothing too interesting this week. The usual. Snap is good. Tears [01:58.520 –> 02:05.200] of the Kingdom is good. Oh, I beat the end of the Koga arc. I love Koga. He’s probably [02:05.200 –> 02:06.320] my favorite character in that game. [02:06.320 –> 02:10.880] That is a really good arc in Tears of the Kingdom. I did that before I did like any [02:10.960 –> 02:15.400] of the other big story things because it was, I was fun just to like follow him around there. [02:15.400 –> 02:20.680] Yes, it was. I happened to run into him before I even got a horse. [02:20.680 –> 02:24.880] Who needs a horse in this game? Come on. [02:24.880 –> 02:31.520] Yeah, you’re right. The one thing that I do love about the whole Koga thing, [02:31.520 –> 02:37.360] I think an absolute stroke of genius. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, [02:37.480 –> 02:42.360] they’d already been thinking about Tears of the Kingdom back then, but the fact that they [02:42.360 –> 02:47.400] turned the ending of Koga where he falls into the hole and just tie it into his new story. [02:47.400 –> 02:55.680] Oh, that was genius. Oh, it was beautiful. But yeah, Eagle Clan, it’s really fun. I love it. [02:55.680 –> 03:04.280] Master Koga is great. Aside from that, the only thing of some note is I’ve hit year five in [03:05.280 –> 03:14.280] Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life. You only have six years before you hit credits. [03:14.280 –> 03:20.960] Yes. Well, the main credits. There are other credits. Don’t forget about the other credits. [03:20.960 –> 03:25.840] Yeah. I mean, I already hit credits because you just say not the beginning. [03:25.840 –> 03:31.000] That’s the first credits. You’ve got to do that before you do anything else if you’re [03:31.000 –> 03:36.240] going to hit everything. Yeah, I already did that. So I’m going to hit the credits again. [03:36.240 –> 03:40.640] I love that they kept that in the game, by the way. They could have easily removed that. [03:40.640 –> 03:48.160] But no, they kept it in. It’s good fun. Yeah, it’s great. So the only, I mean, [03:48.160 –> 03:53.920] my kid’s now like an adult roughly the age you were when the game started, which is interesting [03:53.920 –> 04:00.000] to see. I’m going through faux parenthood here and it’s weird. I mean, parenthood is weird. [04:01.000 –> 04:05.880] Well, yes, but I’m genuinely worrying if my kid’s going to want to inherit my farm or not. [04:08.280 –> 04:20.520] Anyways, the one super notable thing that they do something just brutal to you. So I can’t [04:20.520 –> 04:25.960] remember if it’s year four or year four. No, in year four, all the character’s hair starts to [04:26.080 –> 04:31.480] gray. Like you start seeing everyone starts getting the salt and pepper gray hairs in there. [04:31.480 –> 04:39.760] Year five, you’re getting older, so they take away permanently an amount of your stamina. Your [04:39.760 –> 04:47.360] stamina bar goes down like a good chunk, too, because you are getting up in your years. You [04:47.360 –> 04:54.160] can’t take it anymore. Oh, that’s it’s getting too real. But yeah, so hopefully soon I’ll actually [04:54.200 –> 04:59.400] be able to hit credits of this game for once and I can report back on it. Although I don’t think [04:59.400 –> 05:05.360] anything will ever top what I did for that episode. But that’s that’s all I’ve been up to. Oh, what [05:05.360 –> 05:10.040] about you? What’s going on? I obviously have been playing Spirit Valley the last wee while. [05:10.040 –> 05:24.080] And I’ve also been playing Hades. That’s a good game. Kind of. Yeah, it is. Look, I mean, [05:24.080 –> 05:30.960] I’m going to do a proper discussion with this later. Probably for a greenhouse episode with [05:30.960 –> 05:38.280] someone else. But like, I mean, my overall thoughts are probably going to be the same as [05:38.320 –> 05:44.960] most roguelites, which is I like the combat. I like the primary loop. And I hate everything [05:44.960 –> 05:51.960] else about the game. Well, hold on. What do you mean everything else? Because like, characters [05:51.960 –> 05:56.800] are really good. Okay, the character stuff is fine, right? Like, but it’s not. I mean, [05:56.800 –> 06:08.440] it’s weird in like, the story. It’s not a story. It’s more just like snippets from to [06:08.440 –> 06:16.480] this world building, right? Like there isn’t a story as such, as there is snippets of characters [06:16.480 –> 06:24.600] and kind of giving you some backstory and stuff like that. But there’s no like the story is you [06:24.600 –> 06:30.400] escaping. Right? Like, that’s the story. And there’s nothing really to tell about that. So [06:30.400 –> 06:36.320] they spend the rest of the time giving you these little, little bits and pieces as you go from [06:36.320 –> 06:44.680] different people. Okay, fine. I don’t dislike that. But how do you think you’re going to stick [06:44.680 –> 06:48.680] with it? Because I can comment on something here. But if you’re going to stick with it, [06:48.680 –> 06:54.680] I won’t comment on probably going to stick with it. Okay. All right, then. Well, well, [06:54.680 –> 07:01.280] I got so close to beating the first boss the other day, so close, frustratingly close. And [07:01.280 –> 07:07.800] the thing that I really dislike about it is like, all of the things that I did, essentially [07:07.800 –> 07:13.040] disappear, right? Sure. Fine. There’s stuff you get that can build up other things later on, [07:13.040 –> 07:16.920] right? Fine. But the problem is, if you don’t get a huge amount of that each run, [07:16.920 –> 07:22.440] it just feels like so demoralizing to go like, I was so close, because of these specific power [07:22.440 –> 07:27.360] ups I got on this specific run. And the chances of me getting all those power ups again, very, [07:27.360 –> 07:34.040] very slim. It’s just that I just don’t find that fun. Okay. I mean, all right. Yeah, no, I mean, [07:34.040 –> 07:39.760] that’s, that’s your prerogative. You know, that’s subjective. That’s can’t argue. Absolutely. It’s [07:39.760 –> 07:45.800] definitely subjective. And like, I, you know, I know that I know the reason why people like [07:45.800 –> 07:48.880] these games. And I know the reason that this game is why it is, but that doesn’t mean that [07:48.880 –> 07:57.280] I have to enjoy that. You know, I think that still, we’ve still, despite the number of rogue [07:57.280 –> 08:02.120] lights that I’ve played, still the only one that I actively enjoyed playing was Cult of the Lamb. [08:02.120 –> 08:13.480] Okay, it’s, see, that’s interesting, because Cult of the Lamb, very, well, at least gameplay combat [08:13.480 –> 08:18.360] wise, that the stuff we’re talking about where the stuff doesn’t matter when you die, that feels [08:18.360 –> 08:28.000] very, Cult of the Lamb feels very Hades-lite in that sense. But the kicker is, Cult of the Lamb [08:28.000 –> 08:33.880] runs take what, five minutes? A Hades run can last you a half hour. Exactly. So this is the thing, [08:33.880 –> 08:40.080] this is the difference for me, right? So Hades, yeah, sure, you have some kind of small base [08:40.080 –> 08:44.600] building, right, in your home, right? But it’s not really, right? It’s basically the place that [08:44.600 –> 08:50.520] you go to after you fail, to get ready to go and fail again, right? Whereas the point in Cult of, [08:50.520 –> 08:54.920] because the point of Hades is get to the end of the course, right? The point- Have you unlocked [08:54.920 –> 08:58.680] the mirror? Let me ask you that. Yes, I have unlocked the mirror. Okay, I’m just making sure. [08:58.680 –> 09:02.360] You get that really early. I don’t remember, so that’s a mess. I think you get, I think it tells [09:02.360 –> 09:06.560] you to use it, like, immediately after your first death. Okay, because that mirror makes a [09:06.560 –> 09:09.440] difference. It does, you know, it absolutely does. And I’m not saying that it doesn’t build [09:09.440 –> 09:13.680] anything up. There is obviously that building up of the stuff that you do, but I feel like [09:13.680 –> 09:19.440] this power-ups you get when you’re out on the run are just so much more powerful than any of the [09:19.440 –> 09:24.980] stuff that you’re building up in the base. But anyway, the reason why I think the Cult of the [09:24.980 –> 09:30.440] Lamb is different and why I enjoy it is the point of Cult of the Lamb is your base. That’s the point, [09:30.440 –> 09:36.240] right? And you go out on runs to gather resources, and if you fail on gathering resources, you just [09:36.240 –> 09:42.400] don’t get more resources. Yeah. And you can just try again. Okay. Whereas the point of Hades is [09:42.400 –> 09:46.400] getting to the end of the course, and if you don’t get to the end of the course, you’ve failed. Yeah, [09:46.400 –> 09:51.800] all right, that’s fair. That’s the difference, I find. Okay, yeah, that’s a very good point, [09:51.800 –> 09:59.640] and you’re right, because, yeah, the Cult of the Lamb, the base is half the game, absolutely. I’d [09:59.640 –> 10:07.000] say it’s more than half the game. Well, maybe. I guess it depends how you define half the game, [10:07.000 –> 10:10.600] right? Because different people will play different ways. So if you’re thinking in terms [10:10.600 –> 10:17.200] of like amount of time played, then it depends on how you play. I went out on runs when I needed to [10:17.200 –> 10:23.080] to get stuff, right? But I much more enjoyed being on the base. Anyway, so that’s my Hades. I’ll talk [10:23.080 –> 10:28.520] more about it in the future. I’m not going to immediately stop playing it, but I’m not playing [10:28.520 –> 10:35.000] it right now, because all my game time is currently taken up by the Scarlet and Violet [10:35.000 –> 10:44.360] Pokemon DLC. So I, okay, I have not played it. I have seen things about it, like I’ve seen the [10:44.360 –> 10:51.000] things I care about, and I’ll probably get it at some point, but the consensus I’m hearing is that [10:51.000 –> 10:56.480] it is more Scarlet and Violet. So I think it depends on what you think about that. So like, [10:57.440 –> 11:00.800] this is the thing is like, people are like, is it better? And it’s like, it depends what you mean [11:00.800 –> 11:04.640] by that. If you mean, have they fixed the performance issues? No, of course they’ve not. [11:04.640 –> 11:09.800] They were never going to do that. I said that 10 months ago, they were never going to fix these [11:09.800 –> 11:15.000] performance issues, right? They made things better over time. It is definitely a better game now than [11:15.000 –> 11:20.320] it was at release. A hundred percent, there are improvements in the performance, but to say that [11:20.320 –> 11:25.080] they would be gone, they’ve definitely still improved, right? They’re not perfect, but they’re [11:25.080 –> 11:30.840] definitely better than they were. I used to get stuck in the menus every single raid. That never [11:30.840 –> 11:37.040] happens for me now. Now I’m not saying they’re perfect, but it has definitely improved. I’m not [11:37.040 –> 11:41.880] saying it doesn’t happen at all. What I’m saying is it has improved. It is definitely better than [11:41.880 –> 11:47.320] it was. So this is the thing is like, I need to know what people are expecting out of the question [11:47.320 –> 11:53.520] to give them an answer. So if your question is, have they made the game perfect? Then obviously [11:53.520 –> 11:57.080] the answer is no. If the question is, have they made the performance better? The answer is not [11:57.080 –> 12:04.600] really no. Not since the last update. And that’s such a loaded question, right? And you say that [12:04.600 –> 12:09.360] knowing it’s a loaded question, right? Because I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had in this game [12:09.360 –> 12:13.040] because it’s a lot, right? Like I wouldn’t put the amount of time into this game if I wasn’t actually [12:13.040 –> 12:18.800] enjoying myself. Are you sure? Absolutely. And I’m not trying to tell anybody that they should be [12:18.800 –> 12:27.720] enjoying this game, but fun means different things for different people. I’ve put a lot of game time into that new Animal Crossing. What I would say is there are, I don’t think there are [12:27.720 –> 12:31.880] more trainers in this area than there were in the last one, which I know is one of your kind of like, [12:31.880 –> 12:36.240] there aren’t more people in the, in the area than there were in the last one, which I know is one [12:36.240 –> 12:40.400] of your issues. It’s not the only issue I know, but that is certainly one issue that I don’t think [12:40.400 –> 12:47.640] has been addressed. There is, it still feels empty of people. What I will say is that I think, and [12:47.680 –> 12:55.320] this is my personal opinion, I think this area compared to Paldea, I think Kitakami is a better [12:55.320 –> 13:03.920] designed area and it feels as a whole more filled out. I feel like there are, there are very, [13:03.920 –> 13:10.040] there’s not really any areas where you look and you go, there’s nothing here at all. Okay. There [13:10.040 –> 13:16.760] are more landmarks per square mile, I think. Okay. I think that’s already an improvement. Yeah. The [13:16.760 –> 13:22.720] storyline is, I think, so probably on par with the storylines in the, in the main one. I mean, [13:22.720 –> 13:28.520] I mean, that’s just Pokemon. This is the thing, right? I think, I think that we generally agreed [13:28.520 –> 13:32.840] that the stories were better than previous games, right? Cause it’s not just like, Oh, [13:32.840 –> 13:39.080] the end of the world and Oh no, we’ve saved the world. I don’t, I mean, that’s not my opinion. [13:39.080 –> 13:46.520] Okay. Lots of people have, prefer the stories in Scarlet and Violet to some previous stories [13:46.520 –> 13:52.880] because they’re more personal. And I think that has continued. So yes. So in terms of like story, [13:52.880 –> 13:58.480] I think it continues to be more Scarlet and Violet in terms of lack of people, it continues to be [13:58.480 –> 14:06.080] a story in Scarlet and Violet in terms of how the world feels personally, I feel like it has improved [14:06.080 –> 14:11.780] in terms of how the game plays. It is the same because it’s still the same game. Obviously they [14:11.780 –> 14:16.500] have not massively improved performance. The boxes are a bit better, but they’re still not [14:16.500 –> 14:22.940] amazing. Um, and obviously they have not changed how the movement across the world works, which is [14:22.940 –> 14:30.820] obviously in my opinion, it’s biggest problem. One of them. Yes, absolutely. Okay. Here’s a [14:30.820 –> 14:38.380] question that I think can be somewhat objectively measured. Are there things to do? And it sounds, [14:38.540 –> 14:43.780] it’s a very broad, dumb way of saying, but like in Scarlet and Violet, once you’ve caught all the [14:43.780 –> 14:49.900] Pokemon, you, there isn’t that much left to, you know, clear the stories, caught all, filled your [14:49.900 –> 14:56.020] decks. There’s not much left to do. It’s raids, right? That’s what they want you to do is raids. [14:56.020 –> 15:01.500] Yes. Um, I don’t know, cause I’ve not got that far and I’ve not really been Googling for things. [15:01.500 –> 15:10.820] So I’m, I’m in the midst of the story. All right. Well, that’s fine. Um, okay. I’ll update you on [15:10.820 –> 15:16.980] that when I get further. Um, but yeah, I mean, I really, I, and I like some of the new areas in, [15:16.980 –> 15:25.220] in this are really nicely designed areas I feel, um, uh, which is, is fun. Um, but yeah, I mean, [15:25.220 –> 15:30.860] you know, if you absolutely hated Scarlet and Violet, obviously don’t buy this, right? Like [15:30.900 –> 15:36.580] it just depends on what aspects you didn’t like and which aspects you do. And for me, I just, [15:36.580 –> 15:42.500] I like playing the game. I like catching the Pokemon, you know, obviously cause that’s like, [15:42.500 –> 15:48.460] you have to like catching the Pokemon to, you know, play a professional challenge. Um, I like, [15:48.460 –> 15:54.180] yeah, I like lots of aspects of this game. I definitely want it to be better, but yes, [15:54.180 –> 15:59.580] it is more of that, but I liked that in the first place. Okay. [15:59.580 –> 16:12.260] All right. I, I, yeah. Okay. I get the gist of it. Um, it kills me. It absolutely kills me that [16:12.260 –> 16:21.380] I will probably get this largely because of one new thing that I, I mean, I won’t know, [16:21.380 –> 16:26.060] don’t know what you know, or I usually leaks guys. You probably know, but the listeners don’t know. [16:26.060 –> 16:31.820] As I said with the original, the base Scarlet Violet, Pokemon is good at Pokemon. That whole [16:31.820 –> 16:37.260] Dex, I like those Pokemon. I like seeing them. And all of the new Pokemon I like as well. Yeah, [16:37.260 –> 16:42.440] I do too. I don’t think all of them are some of the best, but I think some of them are some of [16:42.440 –> 16:48.060] the best they’ve done. Sure. They’re enjoyable. And it kills me. It kills me that I want, [16:48.060 –> 16:54.860] the only reason I want the DLC is to see those new Pokemon. Yeah. You can always try trading [16:54.860 –> 17:00.500] because you can get them in the base. I like, I know I can’t, but just, and that’s, and this is [17:00.500 –> 17:05.420] the thing, this is what I actually like how they’ve done DLC, both with sword and shield and [17:05.420 –> 17:09.420] Scarlet and violet. They don’t make you buy it to get the new Pokemon. Yeah. It’s not right. You [17:09.420 –> 17:13.180] have to, you have to buy it if you want to get them yourself, but you can always trade for them. [17:13.180 –> 17:20.180] And, you know, in my experience, you put up any shiny Pokemon on the GTS asking for any legendary [17:20.260 –> 17:25.700] and you will get that legendary, right? You can get any Pokemon if you have a good selection of [17:25.700 –> 17:32.380] spare shinies. Right. It’s, it’s so easy, um, to do like, like even, uh, Oh, what’s it called? [17:32.380 –> 17:39.540] What’s the one from legends? Uh, the, the genie, the, the, the, Oh, an amorous or whatever. Yeah. [17:39.540 –> 17:43.820] And amorous, even an amorous, I’ve had multiple and amorous just from random shiny. That’s nuts. [17:43.820 –> 17:49.340] You know, like people will trade anything for shiny Pokemon. Dang. I mean, legends is a great [17:49.340 –> 17:55.220] game and all, but that’s, that’s a track to getting an amorous. Um, Oh, wow. I will give [17:55.220 –> 18:02.140] props to the DLC for, Oh, okay. Here’s a big question. And so one of the biggest selling [18:02.140 –> 18:09.500] points for me as a Scarlet player, especially I can get out of those hideous orange shorts. Um, [18:09.500 –> 18:17.460] can I bring my you cuts or whatever to the pal day? Uh, the main area. That is a good question. [18:17.460 –> 18:22.020] Oh no, you don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Cause like I’ve just been spending all [18:22.020 –> 18:27.380] my time in the new area. Let me tell you, let me, let me, let me, let me live. Tell you, [18:27.380 –> 18:31.100] it’s going to happen. Here we go. Cause I was playing some Mario Kart with Craig earlier. [18:31.100 –> 18:39.740] So let me just beat the game. Oh, so how big is the, the, the map? Good question. It’s hard to [18:39.740 –> 18:44.860] know because on in the game, when you like switch between the maps, it shows them different scales, [18:44.900 –> 18:53.980] right? So it looks like they’re the same size, but they’re not. It feels maybe like crown [18:53.980 –> 18:59.860] tundra sized. Okay. That’s decent. Yeah. So like I think bigger than Isle of armor, [18:59.860 –> 19:10.580] but not, but not as big as the, obviously mean, right. Let me check. Right. Game is booted up. [19:11.420 –> 19:19.580] Let me travel over to Paldera. Let’s just go to Mazagoza because that’s my only travel point [19:19.580 –> 19:25.460] because I’ve not got far in this version. Oh, I’m on a plane apparently because a little, [19:25.460 –> 19:30.740] oh, that’s fun. Little animation of a plane and a Dragonite flying next to it. Oh, that’s cool. [19:30.740 –> 19:35.620] Dragonite flies off. And here we go. We’ve touched down and I am still in my clothes from [19:35.620 –> 19:44.380] Kitagami. There we go. All right. Day’s saved. Okay. DLC is worth it for that alone. It really [19:44.380 –> 19:50.380] is much better to not be in school uniform. It’s still white wild to me that they did that. Right. [19:50.380 –> 19:54.580] Like I get why they wanted to do it, but like just force you back into those clothes for like [19:54.580 –> 20:02.900] the specific cut scenes. If you really want that. Yes. Like, yes, it’s, you can also like the extra [20:02.900 –> 20:08.380] things that you can buy, you can just buy in Paldera as well. Um, the, cause they give you [20:08.380 –> 20:14.100] a style card, right? And that gives you the ability to buy them in. Oh, that’s cool. That’s [20:14.100 –> 20:19.540] nice. You don’t have to go to the new area to buy the stuff. That’s, that’s nice. This place [20:19.540 –> 20:24.660] is only selling glasses, hats and gloves. So I need to find a place that’s selling more than [20:24.660 –> 20:28.540] that. No, I didn’t mean to walk back in. This is the thing that really annoys me about these games. [20:28.540 –> 20:35.580] When you walk out of a shop, it has you facing the shop. Oh yeah. So it has you facing away from [20:35.580 –> 20:40.020] the shop, right? You came up to it facing the shop. So I automatically think, Oh, I need to [20:40.020 –> 20:45.220] go backwards because I was facing forwards and I don’t want to go forwards cause that’s me facing [20:45.220 –> 20:50.220] towards the shop. But then you go backwards, you go straight back into the shop. Oh, it’s bags. [20:50.220 –> 20:55.860] This one is. Ooh. Right. Let’s see what these bags. It’s definitely a different style of bag. [20:55.860 –> 21:03.020] It’s one, one different style of bag. Anyway. Uh, yeah. So you can definitely leave without, [21:03.020 –> 21:07.100] you can definitely go to Pildea without the school uniform. So. All right. That’s good. [21:07.100 –> 21:13.900] That’s a big plus. But yeah, I am enjoying it. And, um, as we mentioned in the greenhouse episode [21:13.900 –> 21:18.180] that hopefully has already come out, but I don’t know when I’m going to edit it. So it might not [21:18.180 –> 21:23.340] be out yet. It might come out on Saturday. Um, I am considering doing another Professor Oak [21:23.340 –> 21:33.060] challenge because why not? Well, I can answer why not, but let’s not get into that. I think [21:33.060 –> 21:41.900] that’s everything that we’ve been up to. That’s cool. Look, I’m just, it’s fine that I’m in, [21:41.900 –> 21:49.380] I’m, I’m winding down because 10 days of this recording, you know, what’s coming begins the, [21:49.500 –> 21:55.900] the Maneco Geddon begins. Goodbye the world. Oh yeah. All right. What, [21:55.900 –> 22:02.140] what non Maneco things are supposedly coming out? Let’s talk about some news. So we have Disney [22:02.140 –> 22:08.980] Dreamlight Valley. The enchanted adventure update is out now. This is the update with Belle. Um, so [22:08.980 –> 22:18.460] the Beauty and the Beast realm and the storyline there. Um, and a lot of other things like there’s [22:18.460 –> 22:23.020] a big long list. If you play this game, you probably have already looked at the list to see [22:23.020 –> 22:28.260] if what you care about. So I’m not going to go over all that just now, but it is out now. Um, [22:28.260 –> 22:34.660] and I am still convinced that the next update will be the either final early access update [22:34.660 –> 22:40.340] or the one final update. That is what I’m convinced of. Oh snap. There’s Jack Skellington [22:40.340 –> 22:45.420] outfits in this. Look, there’s everything. There’s everything in this game. This is like, [22:45.660 –> 22:51.020] this is the everything game. Well, I mean, I don’t cause you know, [22:51.020 –> 23:00.140] nightmare before Christmas is a little, you know, not, I mean it is Disney, but like they don’t [23:00.140 –> 23:05.780] usually lump it in with the princesses and the Mickey’s and whatever. Right. Usually all kind [23:05.780 –> 23:10.140] of its own corner. Some surprise it made it in. Yeah. I look, I look forward to when they start [23:10.140 –> 23:17.380] bringing the Marvel and the star Wars and oh goodness. No, no. Whatever. Bell’s cool. She’s [23:17.380 –> 23:21.260] my second favorite princess. Um, well, you’re going to have to see who your first is then. [23:21.260 –> 23:32.660] It’s Rapunzel because she’s incredible. She’s the best. Not Moana. I like Moana. You don’t [23:32.660 –> 23:38.980] Moana. No, there’s nothing wrong with Moana. Moana is great. Just Rapunzel set the bar real [23:38.980 –> 23:44.460] high and I don’t know. I’m just, Bell’s just pure nostalgia, like beauty and the beast. That’s a [23:44.460 –> 23:49.980] good one. Fair enough. I just have real problems with that storyline. So I struggle to connect. [23:49.980 –> 23:58.860] There are, there are a lot of problems with that storyline. Gaston might be the hero if you think [23:58.860 –> 24:07.060] about it. You look at it from his point of view. No, except the, the thing he did with his dad, [24:07.060 –> 24:12.540] but other than that. Yeah, well sure. He’s not a good guy. Right. Let’s not pretend he’s a good [24:12.540 –> 24:16.580] guy. Yeah. He’s not a good guy. That’s not what we’re trying to say here. Not a good guy. But he [24:16.580 –> 24:27.460] wasn’t irrational. Yeah. Uh, okay. Anyway, above snakes, they has a 1.3 update is out now as well. [24:27.860 –> 24:34.780] This includes a photo mode plus a bunch of other content, some furniture and the piano. I don’t [24:34.780 –> 24:40.180] know why they specifically mentioned the piano. I don’t know. Piano. If you want a piano, there’s [24:40.180 –> 24:47.180] always playable. Oh goodness. Right. Okay. I missed that. If you want a playable piano in [24:47.180 –> 24:53.900] this game, there you go. And it’s on discount right now for, I don’t know how, 20% off. There [24:53.900 –> 25:01.580] you go. All right. Um, then we have Apico has its 3.0 update, which is coming out on the 26th of [25:01.580 –> 25:18.660] September. Oh, special silly September day. Oh, Apico. Um, it’s Maneco day. It is. So we’re back [25:18.660 –> 25:24.340] up. We’re back up to fish. We’re back up. Yes. Yeah. It says underwater bees right there. You [25:24.340 –> 25:29.300] get fish. I think we talked about this a little bit, right? Yeah. So you can fish in the game. [25:29.300 –> 25:38.060] Yeah. But also there’s underwater bees. Yeah. For some reason. Fish. Um, one thing I want to [25:38.060 –> 25:44.700] note that I didn’t catch before Cody, her, they, it’s Cody, Matt. I don’t know if it’s Matt, [25:44.940 –> 25:51.940] Mathive or Mathive, but they changed her name from, from her last name to put hive in it. I [25:51.940 –> 25:59.460] love that. I missed that. Yeah. All right. Go anyways. Yeah. So a bunch of water stuff in, [25:59.460 –> 26:06.460] in Apico. Go, go restore coral reefs. They’re called the highs of the, the sea for a reason. [26:06.460 –> 26:17.380] Um, ever dream Valley have released a roadmap. So they have a big update coming in October, [26:17.380 –> 26:24.180] a Halloween event coming in October as well as every game has to have, obviously. And, uh, their [26:24.180 –> 26:32.020] multiplayer beta is coming out in December. Cool. I’m going to get annoyed. Ah, there’s this thing [26:32.020 –> 26:35.780] that some games do, right? Where they go, Oh, this is the beta of multiplayer, but it’s like [26:35.820 –> 26:42.140] baked into a release of the game, right? It’s not, it’s not like a thing that you can’t like, [26:42.140 –> 26:46.780] you choose to update to because you’re on the beta branch, right? Don’t call something beta. [26:46.780 –> 26:53.420] If the game is not a beta, right? Like you can’t add a feature into your game and call it beta. [26:53.420 –> 26:59.900] Like it means anything. Your game is released. Act like your game is released. What are you doing? [27:00.740 –> 27:08.900] Nothing matters in game dev talk. Nothing matters. It’s just the first version of multiplayer. Just [27:08.900 –> 27:14.020] call it that. I forgot how this game looked. It was looking at that’s cute game. Yeah, [27:14.020 –> 27:22.260] there’s a pig. Oh yeah. I’ve never really looked too much into this game. I haven’t either because [27:22.260 –> 27:28.580] there’s nothing really kind of like stuck out to me, but yeah, it just keeps rolling. It’s in [27:28.620 –> 27:35.900] that filing cabinet Al has of we need an episode game when we need an episode and we have a week [27:35.900 –> 27:41.420] where we can actually play a game because that’s the other key point, right? Like it’s great when [27:41.420 –> 27:45.580] we have time to do it, but when we say we’ve got an episode next week, we don’t have a topic for [27:45.580 –> 27:54.300] and everybody’s busy playing something. All right. Time to have random topics. Mica and the [27:54.300 –> 28:02.060] witch’s mountain will all be playing that and not ever dream when it comes out. Sadly, [28:02.700 –> 28:11.980] it’s been delayed to early 2024. That’s fine. That’s fine. You take your time. Mika. I have [28:11.980 –> 28:19.660] Maneko on my plate that I need to get through. Yeah. They’d never given an exact date, but I [28:19.660 –> 28:26.380] think the kickstarter had said October 2023. I think they’ve been pretty good at releasing [28:26.380 –> 28:32.220] things roughly on schedule. So I think their last game was like two months late or something like [28:32.220 –> 28:40.540] that, which for a kickstarter game is basically on time, you know? Yeah, it really is. Yeah. So [28:40.540 –> 28:47.660] Mika said October 2023. That’s what it said. And, uh, oh, in fact, Koa and the five pirates [28:47.660 –> 28:53.020] said September 2023 and I think actually came out in August. So I actually did come out. Oh, [28:53.020 –> 29:01.180] dang. So that’s something. And Summer and Mara said, oh, so that said September 2019 [29:01.180 –> 29:06.940] and I think came out March 2020. So it was a few months late, that one. Um, but, um, it’s pretty [29:06.940 –> 29:13.580] good. It’s pretty good. Considering, considering I have, considering I have multiple kickstarters [29:13.580 –> 29:21.340] that are currently two years late. Um, I mean, and that’s not to mention the bidet that I, [29:21.340 –> 29:28.380] that I’m, that I kickstarted that was meant to come out in December 2020 still hasn’t come out. [29:29.820 –> 29:36.940] Okay. What was special about it? Why was it a kickstarter? It’s a portable bidet. Okay. [29:36.940 –> 29:42.460] So you take it with you. Like it’s handheld thing. Okay. Like it’s like a little, [29:43.100 –> 29:47.820] it looks kind of like a big, a big torch, big flash. What, what? [29:49.500 –> 29:53.100] With a little spray nozzle on the side. Okay. So it’s, [29:54.940 –> 30:00.540] what are you connecting to? Or just has it. So you pour the water into it from attack. Okay. [30:01.260 –> 30:10.780] Okay. Okay. And, and it just, all right, ready to go. Yep. I mean, okay. Like I’m, I’m, [30:10.780 –> 30:17.900] I’m just trying to imagine designing this thing, like to achieve that functionality. [30:17.900 –> 30:23.740] Yeah. I’m still not sure. I’m still not sure. It’s not a scam. Right. [30:25.100 –> 30:30.140] Well, look, you can say that about a lot of kickstarters. Three years late. Three years [30:30.140 –> 30:35.340] late. Three legends came out and I’m still wondering. So the last update we got on this [30:35.340 –> 30:42.940] was in March and they said, we’re ready to, ready to, to deliver. And eventually we still haven’t. [30:42.940 –> 30:51.900] That was March. So look, I’m just, I’ve, I’m there. Okay. I’ve never used a bidet personally. [30:51.900 –> 30:57.740] Okay. Like they’re not common in the area of states where I live or whatever. I’ve never [30:57.740 –> 31:05.180] seen one in person. So I’m just like, if you care that much about having a bidet, [31:06.060 –> 31:10.860] like, is it, is not a spray bottle good enough? [31:14.700 –> 31:20.060] We don’t need to get into this, right? 2020 was a weird time, Kevin. Let’s not, we don’t judge, [31:20.060 –> 31:26.220] we don’t judge what anybody did in 2020. Assuming you obviously didn’t like actually harm people, [31:26.220 –> 31:29.100] right? We don’t judge the weird decisions we made in 2020. [31:29.900 –> 31:39.340] No, I’m, I’m, I’m just, I’m just wondering like how many back this fascinates me. Like [31:39.980 –> 31:46.060] Coral Island, their new charity DLC is now out. So we’ll link to that in the show notes. [31:47.020 –> 31:52.460] I have already bought it. We’ll do it. We’ll do a greenhouse episode on it. [31:53.020 –> 31:56.060] Yeah. If you really want to talk more about my portable bidet. [32:00.700 –> 32:03.420] Oh no, we’re, we’re, we’re, we’re, we’re obviously going to do another episode of [32:03.420 –> 32:07.100] Coral Island when it’s one year old. Yeah. Yeah. Charity. Okay. For real, [32:07.100 –> 32:10.780] go save the real coral race with that. It’s cool. [32:10.780 –> 32:15.340] It’s a cool DLC. I got the last one as well. They’re both cool. Get, [32:15.340 –> 32:17.420] you can’t get the first one, but you can get the second one. [32:17.420 –> 32:23.580] I, I haven’t played Coral Island yet, but boy, do I like the ocean, [32:23.580 –> 32:27.820] the real one and the real coral reef. So yay for helping. [32:30.060 –> 32:36.380] Moonstone Island have announced a collector’s edition, which is like two quid more than the [32:36.380 –> 32:44.380] main one and gets you not a lot. It is not a lot because what it gets you is a full color art book. [32:45.340 –> 32:50.460] The download of the original soundtrack and some exclusive decor in game. [32:52.220 –> 32:56.940] So that feels like a no brainer to me. Yeah. If you like Moonstone Island, [32:56.940 –> 33:02.780] that’s the no brainer boy. The, the lo-fi girl is just super popular [33:03.900 –> 33:08.620] because that’s what they have here. Yeah. Okay. All right. [33:09.260 –> 33:18.460] Uh, what else? So this is an interesting one. So this is an interesting one, right? Okay. So I, [33:18.460 –> 33:24.300] I want to preface this with, I don’t normally cover like random little features that are on [33:24.300 –> 33:28.700] games before they release. Right. Cause we’d be here all day if we were covering stuff like that. [33:30.060 –> 33:35.660] But I think this one is interesting enough that it feels like I want to talk about it. Okay. [33:36.220 –> 33:41.260] And that is Spirit Tea doesn’t force you to sleep at specific times of the day. [33:41.900 –> 33:47.260] You can choose when you’re sleeping. They just require you to get a certain amount of sleep [33:47.260 –> 33:51.980] and you can choose when that is. So if you want to be like out all night and sleep during the day, [33:51.980 –> 33:56.620] you can do that in this game. That is very interesting. [33:56.620 –> 34:03.980] I know. Right. That’s a cool idea. Um, yeah, yeah, no, good on that. Like obviously, [34:04.540 –> 34:07.900] presumably the nighttime will be worth staying up for. [34:08.460 –> 34:14.380] Yeah. So it says that some characters are, are, are like, it doesn’t say nocturnal. It says night [34:14.380 –> 34:20.220] hours, but yeah, like there’ll be people that will be out either only at night or mostly at night, [34:20.220 –> 34:25.900] um, and stuff like that. So, uh, yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. [34:26.540 –> 34:31.420] Yeah. That’s, that’s an interesting way to go about it. Um, [34:31.420 –> 34:35.660] yes, I think at this point we’re at the it’s interesting stage and we’ll see whether it’s [34:35.660 –> 34:42.140] good or not later. Um, once we’ve actually got to play this game. Other games probably could [34:42.140 –> 34:46.300] benefit from that for sure, but okay. Yeah, cool. Yeah. I feel like it’s the sort of thing that [34:46.300 –> 34:51.660] couldn’t be actively bad. Um, it might be something that we don’t use very much, but like giving you [34:52.300 –> 34:57.980] the option feels like a good thing in and of itself. It is. Sure. Yeah. But anyway, [34:57.980 –> 35:02.060] it’s not a huge thing. I just felt like it would be interesting to at least mention that. [35:02.940 –> 35:10.380] Ooblets plushies. I played smooshy come home. There aren’t a lot of names in smooshy [35:10.380 –> 35:14.460] granted, but you know, one’s called smooshy. There’s another guy called chunky [35:15.260 –> 35:21.100] and I still think the name Shrumbo is dumb. Clumper and Glanter. [35:21.100 –> 35:28.380] These are, look at those faces though. Let me, let me look at the face. I’m just looking at [35:28.380 –> 35:35.500] the names. What’s a Shrumbo that feels like a fake Mon that they put on the Simpsons on the TV. [35:37.500 –> 35:43.820] Good old, uh, little Shrumbo. Oh, Shrumbo is pretty cute though. Actually Shrumbo would fit [35:43.820 –> 35:49.420] right in smooshy world. So I’m not going to complain. So Shrumbo plushie is available now [35:49.420 –> 35:55.980] in the US and it’s coming soon in the EU. I’m sorry in Europe. I don’t know why I wrote EU. [35:56.540 –> 36:02.780] Coming soon in Europe. I have requested to get a notification when we can buy it here. [36:03.980 –> 36:09.020] And clumper and Glanter are coming soon. They’re not on the Europe site. Interestingly. I don’t [36:09.020 –> 36:13.740] know whether they’re not coming or whether they’re just not up on the site yet, but Shrumbo is up on [36:14.300 –> 36:20.940] the Europe site. So he’s a big, big squishy boy. All of them. I don’t know what you’re talking [36:20.940 –> 36:26.460] about, but they all Shrumbo specifically. Yeah, he is. He really looks like he’d fit in smooshy [36:26.460 –> 36:35.100] with the name and all. All right. Let’s talk about Eastward Octopia. It was in the Nintendo Direct, [36:36.220 –> 36:41.660] which I thought, I thought I’d managed to get out of this direct. Um, uh, talking about it on [36:41.660 –> 36:45.420] this podcast. Um, I’m just talking about in the greenhouse cause I was like, there are no farming [36:45.420 –> 36:51.820] games. And then I looked closer at this game and realize this is a farming game. Very, very clearly. [36:51.820 –> 36:55.500] Yeah. Like I don’t know how I missed it when we were watching. I just went Eastward. Oh, [36:55.500 –> 36:58.780] that’s a game I don’t really care about. Let’s ignore what’s happening here. [36:58.780 –> 37:06.060] I didn’t realize this is a DLC to Eastward, right? Which is coming soon. No release date yet. A DLC [37:06.060 –> 37:14.540] to Eastward that you don’t need to play Eastward to play. Yup. Right. It’s like a whole separate [37:14.540 –> 37:20.300] game. Yeah. And it’s a whole completely different game. The graphics are the same. Presumably the [37:20.300 –> 37:26.860] controls are very similar, but it is a farming game and Eastward is an adventure game. These [37:26.860 –> 37:38.380] are not the same thing. I mean, not an adventure. No, this is a weird thing to happen. Like what, [37:38.380 –> 37:45.500] why is this a DLC and not another game? First of all, weird. Well, that’s that. Now that is [37:45.500 –> 37:52.380] a good question. Um, so what, here’s an interesting point. I just, I was watching the, the, the farming [37:52.380 –> 37:57.740] animation and um, when they’re watering, they’re just like walking along the line of crops, [37:57.740 –> 38:03.340] pouring water. They’re not like, take a walk, water, take a walk, water. They’re just walking [38:03.340 –> 38:08.860] along and they’re, the animation for watering is continuous. That’s so nice. Isn’t it? [38:10.460 –> 38:16.220] Why is this not a thing in other games? I hate, I hate slash love when a game does this and they’re [38:16.220 –> 38:21.980] like, here’s a thing that you never would have thought of, but now that it exists, every other [38:21.980 –> 38:28.220] game that doesn’t do this is going to annoy you. It’s all ruined now. Like I never want to see a [38:28.220 –> 38:37.820] farming square again. Just make it all continue. Oh man. Oh, so this is interesting. I don’t know [38:37.820 –> 38:44.860] what I’m going to do with this because I had no interest to play Eastward ever. Right. I still, [38:44.860 –> 38:50.540] and you still don’t have to buy it though, but I have to buy the game, [38:51.340 –> 38:54.300] but it doesn’t seem too expensive. So that is good. Um, [38:56.540 –> 39:00.620] but yeah, it’s like welcome to the charming world of Eastward population declining journey [39:00.620 –> 39:05.420] through a society on the brink of collapse. Discover delightful towns, strain creatures [39:05.420 –> 39:11.980] and even stranger people. We are a trusty frying pan and mystic powers on an adventure into an [39:11.980 –> 39:20.140] unknown. And then this is Sam and John return in an all new adventure. Remember this, remember this [39:20.140 –> 39:26.940] is a DLC in this heartwarming story driven farming sim players can grow crops, tend livestock [39:26.940 –> 39:31.100] and turn an abandoned fairground into a thriving village with the help of the weird and wonderful [39:31.100 –> 39:38.220] cast of beloved Eastward characters in a parallel universe where time and space have collided. [39:38.220 –> 39:43.420] Sam and John moved to a peaceful corner of the globe. I’m sorry, a parallel universe. [39:44.140 –> 39:51.500] Well, there you go. That solves all the problem. What? What? We’re doing multi travel in Eastward [39:51.500 –> 39:58.460] now. This is a large DLC for Eastward with a brand new story in an all new farming game mode. [39:58.460 –> 40:06.300] Eastward is required to play the Eastward Octopia DLC. Eastward and the multiverse of cottagecore. [40:06.940 –> 40:15.260] This is weird. It’s weird, but they got us. It might be good weird. I’m not 100% sure. [40:16.860 –> 40:23.820] I don’t know. Their update on it is announcing Octopia a new farming DLC coming Eastward. [40:23.820 –> 40:28.140] I bet you didn’t see that coming. They start off. You’re right about that. [40:29.580 –> 40:35.820] So the Eastward Octopia DLC will be accessible straight from Eastward start menu and suitable [40:35.900 –> 40:38.940] for brand new players and Eastward completionists alike. [40:40.700 –> 40:46.860] Why is this a DLC? The more I think about it, the more the more I’m on board with this [40:47.500 –> 40:57.580] general idea of of totally separate different DLC. This is weird. Like, oh man, [40:58.460 –> 41:02.620] I’m trying to think of a good example of a wild one. Well, I was going to make a joke [41:02.620 –> 41:08.220] about Final Fantasy or something, right? Having like a random addition that adds farming. [41:08.220 –> 41:09.900] Those are already in Final Fantasy. [41:09.900 –> 41:15.740] I realized they did that. They did that in Final Fantasy 14. Not only that, it’s on the moon. [41:16.780 –> 41:21.660] Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, Final Fantasy has those baked in. [41:21.660 –> 41:27.340] There’s no joke you can make about Final Fantasy, but it’s something they’ve probably already done. [41:27.340 –> 41:36.380] No, I mean, it’s like Mario Wonder gets a DLC that’s, I don’t know. [41:38.060 –> 41:44.300] Oh, it’s like, you know, it’s like they did Mario 3D World and they just added on a whole [41:44.940 –> 41:48.140] new game onto it. There was an open world 3D platformer. [41:48.700 –> 41:51.020] Yeah. Oh, wait, they did. [41:53.020 –> 41:54.060] Yeah, they did. [41:57.340 –> 42:01.580] I still need to play that one. All right. Interesting looking. [42:01.580 –> 42:07.660] Did you look at the fishing minigame? Oh, I remember looking at it. I remember, [42:07.660 –> 42:11.340] I don’t remember what it is right now, but I remember noting it in my brain. [42:11.340 –> 42:16.380] Weird. Also, is that flying flying cows and pigs? Why are they flying? [42:17.020 –> 42:22.620] I don’t know. Yeah. Okay. That looks a little like, what’s it called? [42:24.060 –> 42:28.700] Well, I mean, the circle roots of Pacha. But yeah, that fishing actually looks interesting. [42:29.740 –> 42:36.700] It looks dynamic. I appreciate a dynamic minigame. All right. Whatever. I mean, [42:37.980 –> 42:41.260] it’s crazy, right? Because if this were a standalone game, this would be like, [42:41.260 –> 42:44.940] for sure. Just like, yeah, I’m down for that. But the fact that it’s DLC. [42:45.740 –> 42:50.540] Octopia is a weird name. I haven’t played Eastward, so probably maybe it means something. [42:50.540 –> 42:56.700] I don’t know. Wait, can we get a DLC where the universe is collide? [43:00.460 –> 43:04.460] Japanese rural life simulator talking of weird things. [43:05.180 –> 43:12.940] Yeah, this. Okay, so this is an Apple arcade game. I’m going to guess that at some point [43:12.940 –> 43:18.860] it’ll come to Android because their previous games are on Android. This is a Japanese developer [43:19.740 –> 43:28.060] that has released this game. And it’s about living in rural Japan. View the cherry blossoms in the [43:28.060 –> 43:33.340] spring, attend the festival in the summer, eat roasted sweet potatoes in the fall, hear the [43:33.340 –> 43:37.820] temple bell ring in winter, and then it’s time for the first shrine

Fast zwanzig Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung von Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, hat Marvelous der Farm-Lebenssimulation ein Remake spendiert. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life fasst alle Versionen des Originals zusammen, erweitert diese um neue Inhalte und fügt sinnvolle Verbesserungen dazu. Alex und Eric haben sich der Arbeit auf dem Bauernhof und dem Leben im […]

Wenn wir es uns aussuchen könnten, hätten wir gerne Kens Job: Einfach nur Beach. Nicht Surf. Nur Beach. Ist ja wohl klar, oder? Was Barbie mit dem Patriarchat zu tun hat, warum ein Kinoticket 36 Pfund kosten kann und warum wir deutsche Buchtitel manchmal hassen, erfahrt ihr in dieser brandaktuellen Folge! BUCHEMPFEHLUNGEN: Nina George „Das Lavendelzimmer“ (2014, Knaur Taschenbuch) - https://tidd.ly/3ptPrLh * Joyce Johnson „Minor Characters“ (2012, Methuen Drama) - https://tidd.ly/43Am6gk * ERWÄHNUNGEN: Ryan Gosling "I'm Just Ken" - https://spoti.fi/44WhMcZ Story of Seasons „A Wonderful Life“ - https://nintendo.de/Spiele/Nintendo-Switch-Spiele/STORY-OF-SEASONS-A-Wonderful-Life-2264866.html Harvest Moon: Eine Welt - https://nintendo.de/Spiele/Nintendo-Switch-Spiele/Harvest-Moon-Eine-Welt-1779282.html https://buzzfeed.com/hazelyxlee/barbie-2023-character-quiz Beat Generation Definition - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Generation HIER FINDET IHR UNS: YouTube Kanal - https://bit.ly/3gZPoQp Buchempfehlungen - https://bit.ly/2Z7wb9r Playlist - https://spoti.fi/3xqGwf1 Kat - https://instagram.com/katcomatose Zora - https://instagram.com/ichbinszora Spotify Bewertung - https://spoti.fi/3CvfClu Apple Bewertung - https://apple.co/2NX1rBW Email-Kontakt: londoncallingpodcast (at) googlemail (dot) com *Affiliate Link (Thalia)

Jeff and Christian welcome Rebekah Valentine from IGn back to the show this week to discuss her stellar coverage of the Microsoft v FTC injunction hearing over the last several weeks. Plus, they discuss Larian's final Baldur's Gate 3 panel before release, the lackluster sales numbers for Final Fantasy XVI, some games getting remasters, and more! The Playlist: World of Warcraft, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, Ghost Trick VR Talk: Synapse Parting Gifts!

This week your favorite co-op couple Luke Lewis and Claire Helmberger discuss their time playing Friends Vs. Friends and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. Topics also include discussion of Final Fantasy 16 sales data and early gameplay impressions. New episodes of the LukeWarmGames Podcast launch every Monday.Find us on twitter for show updates and more:Podcast: @lukewarmgamesLuke Lewis:@lukewarmlewisClaire Helmberger:@ClaireHelmberg1

Our heroes return to discuss twitters impending doom, Tyler's interesting VR experience,Catholic guilt, protests in France, Mike's adventures with Goblin Slayer, GATE, monopolies, Slay The Spire, Rifftrax, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, and much more!   Support the PopCast! patreon.com/bonsaipop   Main content: youtube.com/bonsaipop   Gamersupps discount code: BPOP for 10% off 

This week we discuss the history and current state of farming sims, and what makes the genre special, alongside the release of the Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life remake. We also discuss all the other recent Nintendo and gaming news and rumors including recent releases, the FTC v. Microsoft case, and much more. We close the episode with the games we've been playing. Listen to Super Switch Headz on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you enjoy podcasts. 0:00:00 Introduction 0:05:20 News and Rumors 0:28:30 Farming Sims 1:19:14 Games We're Playing Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWbF4gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/switchheadz Website: http://www.switchheadz.com/

In this week's episode, Justin and Peter talk about Sony's attempt at redacting information, the possibility of an Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake, the Annapurna Interactive showcase, and more! // Follow us on Twitter @HitboxPod // Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/unmGxETX3U // Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hitboxpod // @peterspittech and @JustinMatkovich // Metacritic Roundup games: Master Detective Archive: Rain Code, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie // Made possible by our wonderful Deluxe Podcast Patreon producers: Dave Parker, J Knol // The intro and outro of Hitbox! is by ali_ontheguitar, check out their work right here: https://www.fiverr.com/aliontheguitar?source=gigpage //

It's The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara's in-depth look at what's shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment. The biggest games of the month include: Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo 4, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Aliens: Dark Descent, Sonic Origins Plus, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, Pikmin 1 + 2 Remastered (Switch), and even new hardware with the release of Asus' Rog Ally, the first mainstream Windows 11 gaming handheld.

N-cast går snart på sommerferie, men vi kan lige nå at smide én til episode ud i denne uge. Vi skal snakke om Pikmin 4 Demoen, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life og Everybody 1-2-Switch først og fremmest, men vi vender også nogle andre historier. I ønskes en skøn sommer af holdet bag N-cast.

Join us in welcoming our guest host, Kyle Hilliard! He is joined by Sarah Podzorski, Jeff Marchiafava, and Kelsey Lewin to talk Pikmin 1, 2, and Bloom, the Game of Thrones issue with FF16, and some hard-hitting truths about the milk industry in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. Featuring the soft launch of the MinnMax Summer Fun Time. Then we answer questions submitted on Patreon by the community and award the iam8bit question of the week! You can win a prize and help make the show better by supporting us on Patreon and leaving a question! https://www.patreon.com/minnmax You can find info on Kelsey's upcoming Animal Crossing book here: https://bossfightbooks.com/products/animal-crossing-by-kelsey-lewin Help support MinnMax's supporters! iam8bit.com - 10% off with Promo Code: NATIONALDONUTDAY rocketmoney.com/minnmax - Visit to try out Rocket Money To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below... 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:36 - Pikmin 1, 2, and Bloom 00:15:07 - FF16 and Game of Thrones 00:30:31 - Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life - Who will Jeff marry? 00:49:33 - Sarah's top next fest demos, starting with The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood 00:53:45 - Wood & Weather 00:55:05 - In Stars and Time 00:57:30 - House Flipper 2 00:59:38 - House Flipper 01:00:48 - E3? Soft launch of the MinnMax Summer Fun Time 01:09:47 - Thanking MinnMax's biggest supporters 01:13:06 - Community questions 01:59:40 - Get a Load of This Kyle's GALOT - https://twitter.com/gamegriffin/status/1560329370392317953?s=21&t=QWoBuzgB94WSTcoWtoGt2g Sarah's GALOT - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mcdonalds-grimace-shake-tiktok-trend-rcna91637 Jeff's GALOT - https://www.reddit.com/r/HyruleEngineering/comments/14kya17/the_sky_base_aka_the_backflipper_an_infinite/ Kelsey's GALOT - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mcdonalds-grimace-shake-tiktok-trend-rcna91637 Community GALOT - https://youtu.be/Af9M8llS9JA Disclosure - Games discussed on MinnMax content are most often provided for free by the publisher or developer. Follow us on Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/minnmaxshow Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/minnmax Watch our solo stream archives - bit.ly/3vRAQbi Support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/minnmax Buy MinnMax merch here - minnmax.com/merch Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/minnmaxshow Follow us on Facebook - facebook.com/minnmaxshow Go behind the scenes on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/minnmaxshow Become a Game Champion by supporting MinnMax at the $50 tier on Patreon and lock in the game of your choice! patreon.com/minnmax Cribbage - Maine Otatop Fallout 76 - Jesse Wildrick Minority Report: Everybody Runs - Derek Greenwood Tokyo Jungle - Michael Berry Sly 2: Band of Thieves - ProcyonNumber6 Super Castlevania 4 - Roger Reichardt Suikoden II - takeshikitano3 Gotcha Force - Joshua Ayers King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow - RobBobWill Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Patrick Polk Descent - PrettyGoodPrinting.com Superman 64 - Zachary Pligge Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - Jawarhello Marvel's Midnight Suns - Clemens Zobel Andres Silva - Dark Cloud This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week, Sean is joined by Hayes Madsen, Trends Writer at Inverse Gaming (https://www.inverse.com/profile/hayes-madsen-85654992) and a freelance writer extraordinaire (Check out all his work in one place: https://muckrack.com/hayes-madsen).Hayes has been writing a lot about and reviewed Final Fantasy XVI. Sean also has been playing as much as possible, so both of them give their thoughts on the game, what they enjoy about it (which is a lot about it,) and perhaps some things that are lacking about it as well. Also on this episode, the guys discuss their favorite games from the latest Nintendo Direct, and thoughts on what's happened in the first two days of the Microsoft vs. FTC court case that could literally determine whether the Xbox and Activision-Blizzard-King merger actually goes through. Plus, Hayes gaming origins, Alan Wake 2 leading to the further lessening of physical gaming media, and more!You can also watch this episode on the W2M Network Channel, please give us a like, comment, and follow over there too: https://youtube.com/live/hue52tYB18ETimestamps: 00:00:30 START 00:01:55 Housekeeping- Games We Are Playing - 00:03:00 Final Fantasy XVI Review- Getting to Know Hayes - 00:36:30 Hayes Gaming Origins (His Favorite Games and Genres, What made him go into games journalism, his thoughts on where gaming is at today, and more!)- Nintendo Keeps Rolling Along -00:55:00 Thoughts and Favorite Games From the Latest Nintendo Direct- Xbox vs. FTC First 3 Days - 01:03:30 The Latest with Xbox vs. FTC Showdown- Smaller Newsbits01:24:40 E3 2024 & 2025 May Be Canceled, Thoughts from Hayes about being at SGF 202301:30:45 Remedy Reveals that Alan Wake 2 is Digital Only so the game can be worked on till the launch- The End - 01:36:05 Games Coming Out This Week (Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, AEW Fight Forever, Rain Code) & Promo Time! Links: Hayes' Final Fantasy XVI Review: https://twinfinite.net/reviews/final-fantasy-xvi-review/Hayes on the Cid & Clive Story in FF 16: https://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/editorals/cid-clive-final-fantasy-xvi/Hayes article on FF 16 RPG Elements: https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-16-xvi-rpg-combat-action-square-enix-ps5-1850567705- Listen & Give us a review -https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/video-games-2-the-max/id886092740https://open.spotify.com/show/2wjd0u3xO7TdAm4gKRM44Lhttps://www.audible.com/pd/Video-Games-2-the-MAX-Podcast/B08JJPTZTWhttps://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/video-games-2-the-max-181386https://podcastaddict.com/?podId=2465904https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-video-games-2-the-m-28438312/- Follow on Twitter -Sean Twitter: https://twitter.com/W2MSeanHayes Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolfleetInverse Gaming: https://twitter.com/inversedotcomW2M Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/w2mnetwork- Other Social Media -Follow us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@w2mnetwork2Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/aydMgvUN9dFollow us on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/w2mnetworkFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/w2mnetwork/Follow Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/W2MNetwork

This week, Sean is joined by Hayes Madsen, Trends Writer at Inverse Gaming (https://www.inverse.com/profile/hayes-madsen-85654992) and a freelance writer extraordinaire (Check out all his work in one place: https://muckrack.com/hayes-madsen). Hayes has been writing a lot about and reviewed Final Fantasy XVI. Sean also has been playing as much as possible, so both of them give their thoughts on the game, what they enjoy about it (which is a lot about it,) and perhaps some things that are lacking about it as well. Also on this episode, the guys discuss their favorite games from the latest Nintendo Direct, and thoughts on what's happened in the first two days of the Microsoft vs. FTC court case that could literally determine whether the Xbox and Activision-Blizzard-King merger actually goes through. Plus, Hayes gaming origins, Alan Wake 2 leading to the further lessening of physical gaming media, and more! You can also watch this episode on the W2M Network Channel, please give us a like, comment, and follow over there too: https://youtube.com/live/hue52tYB18E Timestamps: 00:00:00 START 00:01:25 Housekeeping - Games We Are Playing - 00:02:30 Final Fantasy XVI Review - Getting to Know Hayes - 00:36:00 Hayes Gaming Origins (His Favorite Games and Genres, What made him go into games journalism, his thoughts on where gaming is at today, and more!) - Nintendo Keeps Rolling Along - 00:54:30 Thoughts and Favorite Games From the Latest Nintendo Direct - Xbox vs. FTC First 3 Days - 01:03:00 The Latest with Xbox vs. FTC Showdown - Smaller Newsbits 01:24:10 E3 2024 & 2025 May Be Canceled, Thoughts from Hayes about being at SGF 2023 01:30:15 Remedy Reveals that Alan Wake 2 is Digital Only so the game can be worked on till the launch - The End - 01:35:35 Games Coming Out This Week (Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, AEW Fight Forever, Rain Code) & Promo Time! Links: Hayes' Final Fantasy XVI Review: https://twinfinite.net/reviews/final-fantasy-xvi-review/ Hayes on the Cid & Clive Story in FF 16: https://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/editorals/cid-clive-final-fantasy-xvi/ Hayes article on FF 16 RPG Elements: https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-16-xvi-rpg-combat-action-square-enix-ps5-1850567705 - Listen & Give us a review - https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/video-games-2-the-max/id886092740 https://open.spotify.com/show/2wjd0u3xO7TdAm4gKRM44L https://www.audible.com/pd/Video-Games-2-the-MAX-Podcast/B08JJPTZTW https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/video-games-2-the-max-181386 https://podcastaddict.com/?podId=2465904 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-video-games-2-the-m-28438312/ - Follow on Twitter - Sean Twitter: https://twitter.com/W2MSean Hayes Twitter: https://twitter.com/Solfleet Inverse Gaming: https://twitter.com/inversedotcom W2M Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/w2mnetwork - Other Social Media - Follow us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@w2mnetwork2 Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/aydMgvUN9d Follow us on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/w2mnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/w2mnetwork/ Follow Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/W2MNetwork

(00:00) Start och snack om midsommar, kräftor, Leksand Sommarland, offentliga toaletter (09:28) Dagens innehållsförteckning (10:39) Vad har vi spelat sedan sist? (19:30) Nintendo Direct (22:06) Super Mario Bros Wonder (29:19) Super Mario RPG (32:17) Pikmin 4 (34:02) Penny's Big Breakaway (35:32) Arkham Triology (38:20) Ett nytt Princess Peach-spel kommer 2024 (39:09) Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, nygjord version av 3DS-spelet (41:48) Mängder med ny Starfield-information (1:04:32) Final Fantasy XVI har fått bra betyg (1:06:51) Indiana Jones-spelet kommer att vara Xbox-exklusivt (1:08:10) Rättegången mellan Microsoft och FTC skapar rubriker (1:11:19) Diablo IV Battle Pass säsong 1 börjar i juli (1:18:50) Veckans spelsläpp: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, Everybody 1-2-Switch, Front Mission 1st: Remake Vi som gör podcasten om tv-spel, videospel, datorspel och allt som har med Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo och PC att göra heter Andreas och Henrik. Mer information finns att läsa på vår hemsida ⁠⁠https://www.gejmapod.se⁠⁠ och följ oss gärna på Twitter ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/GejmaPod⁠⁠. Gå med i vår Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/CSN7jHrUCg⁠

Al and Jonnie talk about Florence Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:36: What Have We Been Up To 00:14:03: News 00:27:36: Florence 00:34:36: Spoiler Zone 01:01:00: Outro Links Sun Haven DLCs Farming Simulator 23 Gameplay Trailer Farming Simulator 20 on Apple Arcade Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Localisation Blog Florence Contact Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript [00:00.000 –> 00:29.000] G [00:31.000 –> 00:35.000] Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of The Harvest Season. [00:35.000 –> 00:37.000] My name is Al. [00:37.000 –> 00:38.000] And my name is Johnny. [00:38.000 –> 00:42.000] And we’re here today to talk about Cottagecore Games. [00:42.000 –> 00:46.000] Hello Johnny, how are you? [00:46.000 –> 00:50.000] I’m good. I’m tired. I’ve been doing some big hours at work. [00:50.000 –> 00:53.000] So I’m pleased with the game that we’ve got to talk about today. [00:53.000 –> 00:55.000] It was not a huge time suck. [00:56.000 –> 00:57.000] Yeah, yeah. [00:57.000 –> 01:03.000] So just before we get into that, let you know transcripts are available in the show notes and on the website. [01:03.000 –> 01:05.000] So if you need them, go for that. [01:05.000 –> 01:12.000] Yeah, so today we’re going to talk about Florence, which is a very short game. [01:12.000 –> 01:17.000] It’s so short that I hadn’t actually played it before today. [01:17.000 –> 01:21.000] So I was like, oh, and I finished it. [01:21.000 –> 01:24.000] So I was like, oh yeah, I should probably actually play that game. [01:24.000 –> 01:28.000] I knew it was going to be this short, so that’s why I didn’t play it before today. [01:28.000 –> 01:31.000] But I was like, I really ought to actually play it. [01:31.000 –> 01:35.000] But yeah, so it’s all good. [01:35.000 –> 01:38.000] Before that, we’re going to have some news. [01:38.000 –> 01:40.000] But first of all, Johnny, what have you been up to? [01:40.000 –> 01:42.000] What have I been up to? [01:42.000 –> 01:46.000] As usual, when I’m on the podcast, there’s got to be a little bit of Marvel Snap Talk. [01:46.000 –> 01:50.000] And I’m just really into the game right now. [01:50.000 –> 01:53.000] I’m not playing it a lot like I was when I first started. [01:53.000 –> 01:59.000] But it’s kind of just become a really nice game that I’ll play when I’m on the bus or have a few minutes to do. [01:59.000 –> 02:03.000] I’ll just jam a game and I feel like it’s in a really good space. [02:03.000 –> 02:10.000] The monetization is terrible, but that’s actually great because it means I don’t spend money on the game and it’s just a lot of fun. [02:10.000 –> 02:18.000] Yeah, I’ve still not paid any money, spent any money on the game, but I have been playing on and off. [02:18.000 –> 02:23.000] I think I didn’t. I basically didn’t play last. Was it last? Not last season. The season before last. [02:23.000 –> 02:26.000] What was that one? The Modoc one? [02:26.000 –> 02:27.000] Oh, yeah. [02:27.000 –> 02:30.000] I think I basically didn’t play the Modoc season. [02:30.000 –> 02:36.000] And then I got back into it like halfway through last season and just like plunged through everything. [02:36.000 –> 02:40.000] And I’ve not done a huge amount this season, but I’ve done a wee bit. [02:40.000 –> 02:52.000] So I’m hoping to try and get into sort of like a rhythm of casualness rather than like either not playing at all or playing it every free second of every free day, which is what I seem to be doing just now. [02:52.000 –> 02:57.000] Yeah, it can be a little bit like that where you’re just like, oh, I’ve just got two minutes. [02:57.000 –> 03:20.000] I can probably I could probably fit a game in it. It’s like, oh, this, you know, you need like five for a game, but it just does such a good job of compressing those card game mechanics from, you know, whether it’s Magic the Gathering or Hearthstone or whatever, that sort of feeling into such a small timeframe that it really, you know, it’s a satisfying game to play. [03:20.000 –> 03:27.000] I think because it’s only introducing a few cards every season, it doesn’t feel like the game completely changes when you pick it back up again. [03:27.000 –> 03:34.000] Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there’s some good consistency to it, which I think is awesome. [03:34.000 –> 03:35.000] Yeah. [03:35.000 –> 03:48.000] And other than Marvel Snap, I haven’t really been playing anything, but there’s a new show out on Apple TV called Silo, which is based on the Wool series of books. I don’t know if you’ve ever read those books, Al. [03:48.000 –> 03:49.000] I have not. [03:49.000 –> 03:57.000] Generally, if you wonder whether I’ve read a book, the answer is almost certainly no. [03:57.000 –> 04:06.000] Well, it is it is one of my favorite book series and the premise that it’s about people who are living in a silo underground. [04:06.000 –> 04:21.000] And it’s the first episode was one of those episodes where I felt like it was a really great reflection of what I was imagining when I read the books, like it felt like a really true to the book translation. [04:21.000 –> 04:23.000] And it’s been a few years since I’ve read the books. [04:23.000 –> 04:31.000] I’m sure there’s some things that just, you know, that they have changed that, you know, weren’t important or I don’t remember. [04:31.000 –> 04:46.000] But for a first episode of a show, I was just blown away by how how true it seemed to the source material, because I know that a lot of shows recently, you know, sometimes for the conceits of TV have to change things quite substantially. [04:46.000 –> 04:50.000] But it was really nice for a series that I liked to have such a strong start. [04:50.000 –> 04:55.000] That’s cool. Yeah, that shows on my list, but a lot of things are on my list. [04:55.000 –> 05:03.000] I would highly recommend on the basis of the one episode and what I know of the story. It’s a very compelling story. Really, really write it. [05:03.000 –> 05:17.000] Fair enough. Well, I’ve still got, I think, about a month and a half on my Apple TV plus free trial, my net current free trial. [05:17.000 –> 05:21.000] So, yeah, that’s that’s really what I’ve been up to. What have you been playing? [05:21.000 –> 05:40.000] Yeah. So interestingly, so normally when I cover a game for the podcast, I’ll like put the game down after the podcast, because I end up just being so engrossed in it for so long or like either for so long or so intently for such a short period of time that I kind of burn out on it. [05:40.000 –> 05:48.000] But I actually picked Coral Island back up again for a couple of days after recording the last podcast. [05:48.000 –> 05:57.000] I have now put it down, but I just felt like I’ve wanted to finish a few things before I put it down, which is, I guess, the mark of a good game if I actually want to continue playing it. [05:57.000 –> 06:13.000] Yeah. And listening to to last week’s episode on Coral Island, it was I feel like, you know, this is the year where I was really down about statue clones and with all of the ones that we’ve sort of covered, I’m actually getting really excited about all of these and want to start getting into some of them. [06:13.000 –> 06:14.000] Oh, no mistake. [06:14.000 –> 06:17.000] I know. I know. [06:17.000 –> 06:29.000] Yeah. I mean, I will. It will be interesting to see what I end up choosing at the end of the year is my my game of the year, because I mean, at this point, I just I just don’t know what it’s going to be because there’s so much. [06:29.000 –> 06:39.000] There is a lot this year. And I think one of the things that’s probably going to determine it for me over the course of the year is what’s actually in 1.0 versus. [06:39.000 –> 06:40.000] Yeah. [06:40.000 –> 06:41.000] You know, still in early access. [06:41.000 –> 06:54.000] Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair. That’s fair. Yeah, I guess there’s this it’s hard. It’s not that we haven’t done it, obviously, but it’s hard to convince yourself to choose an early access as a game of the year. [06:54.000 –> 07:05.000] And if if the 1.0 isn’t like doesn’t feel bigger than the early access significantly, then also like can struggle to hit that point. [07:05.000 –> 07:07.000] I don’t think I really explained what I was thinking properly there. [07:07.000 –> 07:20.000] No, no, I get what you mean. Right. It’s like sometimes particularly I think in farming games, because it’s probably one of the more niche communities in gaming that a lot of people get in on early access. [07:20.000 –> 07:26.000] So, yes, that’s when a lot of the hype cycle, you know, the traditional release hype cycle for these games sort of takes off. [07:26.000 –> 07:53.000] And, you know, I think over the last few years, I’ve seen 1.0 releases not be not feel that big, right? They don’t feel like traditional game releases that tends to feel more like when early access opens up, which I think is, you know, something that that, you know, developers need to consider about these games and whether or not that potentially limits the overall upside and, you know, players that they can attract with these games. [07:53.000 –> 08:04.000] Yeah, it’s definitely difficult. I think the one exception I can think of that actually did manage to do that on both early access and 1.0 was Ooblets. [08:04.000 –> 08:18.000] Like, I felt like when the early access was first released and when the 1.0 came out, there was quite a big hype cycle around it, which is interesting, because, yeah, that that rare to happen, you know, no matter what you think about the game personally, you know, that like that. [08:19.000 –> 08:20.000] No, I agree. [08:20.000 –> 08:28.000] Was interesting to see happen. And I wonder, it’s hard to know, right, but I wonder how much of it was the same people and how much of it was new people. [08:28.000 –> 08:38.000] Yeah, I’m willing to bet with a game like that, it was a lot of new people because I, you know, personal feelings of the game aside, I think that was a game that, you know, really got that right. [08:38.000 –> 08:50.000] You know, and I look at some of the more recent releases, one which we’ll talk about in the news cycle that I think have really sort of failed to do that despite looking like really strong games. [08:50.000 –> 08:57.000] Yeah. Also, it does probably help the Ooblets. I think the Switch version came out with 1.0 relevant afterwards. [08:58.000 –> 09:12.000] And that can massively help because even with the Steam Deck coming out recently, like the Switch hype is still there, like people still want to on Switch because, you know, most people can’t afford a Steam Deck as well as a Switch and they already have their Switches. [09:12.000 –> 09:15.000] So, you know, that’s what they want their games on. [09:15.000 –> 09:32.000] Absolutely. But I think we’ll all be, you know, relieved from the game of the year debate this year because we’ve got Mika and the Witch’s Mountain coming out and we all know that that’s a strong contender, even though none of us have played it. [09:32.000 –> 09:36.000] No, no, don’t put that into the universe, Al. [09:37.000 –> 09:48.000] Well, this is the thing, right? You know that something’s going to be delayed to next year because we still have 40 games that are currently scheduled to release this year and there’s no way they all do, right? [09:48.000 –> 09:50.000] Definitely not. [09:50.000 –> 10:02.000] Yeah. Well, I mean, interesting. We’re not far off halfway through the year, just a month and a half to go until we’re halfway through the year. So, you know, be interesting to take stock at that point. [10:03.000 –> 10:13.000] Oh, yes. I never finished talking about what I was up to. So, also, obviously, I played Florence today and, as mentioned, I’ve been doing a bit of Marvel Snap. [10:13.000 –> 10:20.000] But, you know, what’s also interesting is I have also been playing quite a significant amount of Fall Guys. Remember that game? [10:20.000 –> 10:28.000] I do remember this game. I played it when it first came out and I sort of ducked back in at some point last year. I’m really curious, like… [10:28.000 –> 10:31.000] Was it the Switch release when you got back in the second time? [10:31.000 –> 10:36.000] Yeah, it was around the Switch release because I think that was sort of, you know, a few people were sort of jumping back in. [10:36.000 –> 10:39.000] That’s when it became free to play. [10:39.000 –> 10:44.000] Right, right. So, what do you think? Are you enjoying Fall Guys? [10:44.000 –> 10:56.000] Yeah, I mean, I’ve kind of been playing it on and off and I think I only play it as much as I do because my four-year-old is obsessed with it and all he wants to do just now is watch me play it. [10:56.000 –> 11:05.000] He doesn’t play it himself. He just loves to watch me play it. So, he’ll be like, oh, can we play Fall Guys while we’re eating tea or whatever. [11:05.000 –> 11:12.000] He’ll just be constantly wanting to play Fall Guys. So, yeah, that tends to be when I play it. [11:12.000 –> 11:17.000] And, like, if I play it with him, I’ll then, once he goes to bed, I’ll play it a little bit more. It encourages me to go. [11:17.000 –> 11:22.000] Like, I do enjoy the game. It is good fun. It certainly helps that I’m not too bad at it either. [11:22.000 –> 11:27.000] Like, I’m not constantly winning, but I am constantly getting into finals and coming second and third. [11:27.000 –> 11:32.000] So, that kind of helps when you’re, like, almost winning. It’s like, I can almost get there. [11:32.000 –> 11:34.000] Just one more. Just one more. [11:34.000 –> 11:41.000] Exactly. So, no, I still enjoy it. I still really enjoy it. And it has enough people playing that you get into games pretty quickly. [11:41.000 –> 11:50.000] Yeah, because that was going to be my next question is, are enough people playing for it to still be ticking over? [11:50.000 –> 11:57.000] And right now I am seven levels away from reaching level 100 on the season pass, the current season pass. [11:57.000 –> 12:05.000] So, I am probably going to grind to get to that point because I’ve never hit a level 100 on the season pass. [12:05.000 –> 12:13.000] It does help that they extended the season by four weeks because they delayed the next season. So, that helps. [12:13.000 –> 12:15.000] But, you know. [12:15.000 –> 12:16.000] Definitely does. [12:16.000 –> 12:21.000] Does your four-year-old dress your little bean man? [12:21.000 –> 12:33.000] So, he wants the guy to be in a duck costume. So, he decided on that, like, eight months ago and hasn’t let me change him since. [12:33.000 –> 12:44.000] Which, I don’t know. It might be, if I do hit level 100 on the season pass, I may have to pay for the season pass and get the SpongeBob costume. [12:44.000 –> 12:47.000] And I think he might want it to be dressed as SpongeBob if I do that. [12:47.000 –> 12:49.000] That is entirely reasonable. [12:49.000 –> 12:56.000] I’m not promising anything to him yet, right? Because I do not want to get into the situation where I fail to get the season pass and he’s disappointed. [12:56.000 –> 12:59.000] But, we’ll see where we go with that. [12:59.000 –> 13:07.000] Cool. That sounds awesome. Maybe I have to get in and try a few more games of Fall Guys because it is fun, right? Like, it’s just good, dumb, sort of silly fun. [13:07.000 –> 13:14.000] Yeah, yeah. As far as, like, you know, free-to-play games, it’s kind of the most obvious what you need to do. [13:14.000 –> 13:26.000] And they’re very good at updating it regularly. The new seasons have a bunch of new maps and there’s constantly, like, new costumes and stuff that obviously you have to pay money for. [13:26.000 –> 13:32.000] Like, it’s an absolute money sink if you’re not careful. But, I haven’t spent any money on it yet. [13:32.000 –> 13:38.000] And again, it’s the good sort of monetization, right? Where it’s all cosmetic and none of it actually helps you play the game better. [13:38.000 –> 13:49.000] Exactly, exactly. So, it’s good fun. They do, like, different shows and stuff so you can go, oh, this is the, like, they do, like, an extreme one where instead of, like, respawning you just get eliminated. [13:49.000 –> 13:57.000] And if you, but, like, there’s higher rewards for that one and stuff like that. So, there’s always stuff to do if you want to play. [13:57.000 –> 14:03.000] If you have, like, one free-to-play game that you’re going to be playing, like, it’s not a bad one to choose. [14:03.000 –> 14:04.000] Yeah, absolutely. [14:04.000 –> 14:06.000] Alright, should we talk about some news? [14:06.000 –> 14:08.000] Let’s do it. [14:08.000 –> 14:25.000] So, I presume this is what you were talking about. Sunhaven, they have announced some DLCs, which is an interesting choice to announce some stuff that you’re going to let people buy when the Switch version still isn’t out. But, there we go. [14:25.000 –> 14:37.000] That was my immediate reaction is, I guess I’m just a little bit confused with what the Sunhaven, I hesitate to say devs, but the wider company structure is doing. [14:37.000 –> 14:49.000] Because they released Sunhaven, like, a week after they announced a second game and they still have on their website that the Switch release was supposed to come at the same time as they went to 1.0. [14:50.000 –> 15:02.000] And we are now probably a month or two past that date. There seems to be no info on a Switch update. The DLCs are small from what I can see. It looks like just a couple of cosmetic packs. [15:02.000 –> 15:11.000] Yeah, it’s still not good. I mean, it’s the same thing we were talking about. I think it was you that was on the episode where we were talking about the other game, the Sundown that they made. [15:11.000 –> 15:29.000] Where it’s like, it’s not like we can understand why you would do this. It’s not the same people working on the two things. But it is a bad look. Like, you’re still going, hey, buy more stuff, even though the stuff that we’ve already sold you, you can’t get yet. You know, it just doesn’t feel great. [15:29.000 –> 15:41.000] No, absolutely. Yeah. And I was on that episode. And, you know, I really like the look of Sunhaven when it first came out, because I couldn’t get it because Switch hadn’t released. [15:41.000 –> 15:57.000] You know, I was watching a few people play it and it looked like the sort of game that I wanted to get into. But I increasingly find myself not wanting to play games because of the way the wider communication strategy seems to be operating. [15:57.000 –> 16:12.000] And that’s something I find across the board, you know, that really annoys me is when, you know, I don’t mind if the Switch is going to be delayed, but when it’s not clearly communicated and I was getting excited because Sunhaven was coming up and it looked cool. [16:12.000 –> 16:21.000] And then to kind of be a month and a half past and there’s not even an idea of when I can play it, it’s just kind of like, well, there’s so many other games, I’m just going to go play one of those. [16:21.000 –> 16:37.000] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, I agree. I don’t like I will probably play well, I will almost certainly play this game at some point. But yeah, it is difficult, especially like the Switch port was like the late so I’m just double checking there. [16:37.000 –> 16:52.000] They never officially said like, oh, Switch port is no longer coming with 1.0. In the announcement of the 1.0 date, they said they had a coming soon list, essentially the roadmap and at the top was the Nintendo Switch port. [16:52.000 –> 17:04.000] And so you’re like, oh, okay, right, fine. But like, that’s, that’s literally the last thing I can see that we’ve been told about it. And there’s a bunch of stuff underneath it that has been that has already come out now. [17:04.000 –> 17:16.000] You know, including the DLCs there that the 1.0 1.1 update that includes most of the stuff that’s in that list. Like, Switch is basically the only thing in that list that hasn’t happened yet. [17:16.000 –> 17:28.000] We haven’t had any indication as to where or when it’s happening. They haven’t even said, Hey, Luke, something’s come up. It’s taking longer. They’ve just said it’s coming. And everything else they said is coming is come, basically. [17:28.000 –> 17:52.000] Yeah, so it’s, it’s a little concerning at this point that there’s just no communication on it, right? It could be things like, you know, I know a few game developers, and I know that releasing things on Switch seems to be harder than other platforms, because of some of, you know, Nintendo’s controls. But even just an announcement to say it’s delayed would be would be better than nothing. [17:53.000 –> 18:15.000] Yeah, yeah, literally, you just need to say, it is still coming. Here’s the issues we’re having. And like, I think that Concerned Ape was always really good to this with Stardew, like the 1.5 update for mobile came out age, like a year after all the other updates. But he was constantly saying, like, I’m really sorry, this is, this is still coming, we are working on it. [18:15.000 –> 18:28.000] You know, every month or so he was like, just is coming, I promise. It’s just taking time, these things happen. And people are willing to accept that when they when they know that you when you when you communicate, they’re willing to accept that these things happen, you know? [18:28.000 –> 18:57.000] Yeah, absolutely. And maybe just to talk about the actual DLC of that, because I think I went straight into my wider rant on Sun Haven. So it looks like in the DLC packs, there’s there’s two or no, four DLC packs that they’ve got. So one for two for pets, and two for mounts, it looks like any sort of a theme, one being more spooky, and the other being more cute from the looks of things. [18:58.000 –> 19:12.000] Um, and I guess also, if you are still interested in Sun Haven on via steam, it’s 20% off until actually, it’s 20% off until today. So if you’re listening to this, it is no longer 20%. [19:12.000 –> 19:31.000] Yeah, yes. Yeah, all the DLC is already out. And they’re basically a fiver each to presumably similar sort of pricing in different places. So yeah, I’m not gonna buy the DLC, because I don’t have the game yet. [19:32.000 –> 19:44.000] We’ll be interested to see when we get it if we get the 1.1 update when we get the the 1.0 release on switch or whether we have to wait for the 1.1 update on switch. We’ll see. [19:44.000 –> 20:00.000] We will. And I’m going to take this next news item because I feel like every time I’m on the show, there is some small part of farming simulator news. And so we’ve got a gameplay trailer for farming simulator 23. And let me tell you, this looks like some farming simulator. [20:00.000 –> 20:23.000] Yeah, this is the game that like, this is this is the FIFA of the farming world, right? Like it does things in such a like you’re we’re going to release the game every year. And if you really care about the games, you will love the update, you will love the changes that we’ve done. And if you don’t really care about the game, you’ll be like, okay, what’s different here? [20:23.000 –> 20:52.000] So I was able to pick up on one thing that looked very new from my time with playing farming simulator 22 is it looked like there was some logging or not not quite forestry, but you know, chopping down trees on around the farm and then loading those up that that definitely looked looked new. And one of the things that it got me thinking about, I don’t know if you watched Clark’s video, but I think I watched it. [20:52.000 –> 20:54.000] You watched Clarkson’s Farm, Al? [20:55.000 –> 20:57.000] No, no, I did not. [20:58.000 –> 21:16.000] Jeremy Clarkson is a horrible human being, right? That being said, Clarkson’s Farm is a surprisingly entertaining watch of just, you know, old white dude with no idea what he’s doing tries to run a farm. And it made me wonder because it’s a it’s a wildly popular show. [21:16.000 –> 21:35.000] It has made me wonder, are the farming simulator devs kind of just looking and watching that show for ideas of what they should be bringing in because that’s sort of what’s at the top of the, you know, people that aren’t on farm sort of mindset because the logging stuff that definitely has happened in on Clarkson’s Farm like the machines were all the same machines. [21:36.000 –> 21:38.000] Maybe it’s just a standard, I don’t know. [21:39.000 –> 21:41.000] Yeah, interesting. [21:43.000 –> 21:44.000] Still not going to play the game. [21:44.000 –> 21:50.000] I’ve decided though, this is definitely this is a case where this is a farming game, but it’s definitely not a cottagecore game. [21:51.000 –> 22:04.000] I think that is exactly right. There is nothing cottagecore about it. To me, it’s much closer to a real time strategy game. Not in that it’s, you know, a lot of resource management and those sorts of things. [22:04.000 –> 22:17.000] But it’s that constant like, I have to go here, do this, pick this thing up, do the next thing, you know, hook this up, like it’s a constant flow of things you just have to be doing. [22:18.000 –> 22:27.000] And there’s no real time to just pause and sit and enjoy or, you know, chat to villagers or those sorts of things that are really at the heart of the games that we like to cover. [22:28.000 –> 22:30.000] Yeah, interesting. [22:30.000 –> 22:34.000] So that’s enough Farming Simulator. Shall we talk about some more? Farming Simulator! [22:35.000 –> 22:50.000] This is absolutely bizarre to me, right? So this is this is Farming Simulator coming to Apple Arcade. Farming Simulator 20, that is. [22:50.000 –> 23:11.000] This feels like a constant thing with Farming Simulator because we had that bundle. There was a farming bundle or some bundle. Oh, no, it was a chat. Was it the Ukraine bundle? I think there was a big charity bundle and there was a Farming Simulator in it, but it was Farming Simulator 18. [23:12.000 –> 23:27.000] You’re like, oh, OK, that’s like a six year old game. Like, so generous of you. OK. Yeah, 20. So 20 was released in 2019. So three and a half year old game. [23:28.000 –> 23:39.000] Yeah, like watching the trailer for Farming Simulator 20, I was like, if I watched these two trailers more than like 10 minutes apart, I might not be able to tell that they were in fact two different games. [23:40.000 –> 23:55.000] Yeah. Yeah. Fascinating. Anyway, now actually moving on from Farming Simulator, Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life, we have the first of their localization blogs. So they’ve done this for the last few games. [23:56.000 –> 24:08.000] As they’ve been localizing the game, they’ve come out with these blog posts to talk about the challenges and how interesting it is to translate with the different cultural expectations. [24:09.000 –> 24:23.000] And especially, I think this one seems to be focusing a lot on the names, which is interesting because there’s obviously lots of focus on names. People like to see, oh, this character’s name could be translated in multiple different ways. [24:23.000 –> 24:30.000] And some of the names were translated differently in this version than they were in the first version of the game. [24:31.000 –> 24:51.000] So, yeah, I just think this sort of transparency is really cool to see. And I think it’s particularly when you’re remaking a game and they clearly know that people have a lot of affinity for the original translation, but it maybe doesn’t hold true to the vision that they’re trying to create. [24:51.000 –> 25:09.000] So by getting out ahead of it, it’s, you know, it’s good from a transparency perspective. But for people that feel, you know, would otherwise feel disappointed or sad, it kind of means that hopefully their first experience and actually get to hold the game is not, oh, the character that I like a lot from my first experience has changed massively. [25:10.000 –> 25:30.000] Yeah, yeah. And I think it’s nice as well, like they’re going into the reasoning behind it. They’re not just like, oh, sorry, we did this. They’re like, this is why we did this. And they actually, they start off by saying, you know, lots of people hold, whereas with many fans having deep attachments to this game, its characters and its world, we felt that it was vital for us to talk about our approach to this localisation. [25:31.000 –> 25:46.000] So it’s like, they’re aware of why they’re doing it as well. They’re not just doing it because they do it. And it’s, yeah, it’s very detailed on the characters. I think this one’s specifically character based. I haven’t actually read the entirety of it, I’ve kind of just scanned it. [25:46.000 –> 26:10.000] I’ve read most of it. One thing that I want to call out is that towards the bottom of the blog post, they call out that just a number of character redesigns were necessary after 18 years, there were several designs that did not stand the test of time, which is just undoubtedly going to be true. So it’s good to see again, just being, you know, honest about where games were at from a diversity perspective when this was first released, versus where things were going. [26:17.000 –> 26:44.000] And updating that, you know, in a way that sort of still respects the original intent of the character, which I think is really important, right? Because for many characters, the original intent is not skin tone or hair colour or any number of those, you know, sort of outward facing features. It’s the personality that they bring. So I just really, you know, impressed with this level of transparency. [26:44.000 –> 26:50.000] It’s also not just diversity, right? Is this not the game that had like a literal child as a marriage candidate? [26:50.000 –> 26:52.000] You are potentially correct. [26:52.000 –> 26:59.000] Because I know there was certainly one that was like that. I feel like it was this one. And I believe they’ve changed that in the in the remake. [26:59.000 –> 27:08.000] Yeah, so not just to beat up on Sun Haven a little bit more, but this is the sort of communication that I’m looking for that makes me more likely to want to play a game, right? [27:08.000 –> 27:18.000] You don’t even need to go into this much detail, right? Like this is I think, this is very high above the bar rather than the bar that you need to cross. [27:18.000 –> 27:19.000] Absolutely. [27:19.000 –> 27:28.000] But certainly if you do this, we’re not going to complain. Yeah, I’ll have the link to the blog post in the show notes if you want to read it. [27:28.000 –> 27:36.000] All right, I think that’s all of the news. Pretty light week. That’s okay. These things happen. We’ve blabbered on about other things instead. [27:36.000 –> 27:39.000] Let’s talk Florence. So I guess… [27:39.000 –> 27:43.000] I love this game so much, Al. [27:43.000 –> 27:47.000] How many times have you played this game so far? Is it just the twice? [27:47.000 –> 28:00.000] No, I think I think I’ve played it four times. So Florence came out, I want to say 2018, maybe originally. [28:01.000 –> 28:05.000] And I think so I’ve probably played it like once a year since it came out. [28:05.000 –> 28:06.000] Okay. [28:06.000 –> 28:14.000] And it came out on iOS. And so, you know, I can just once a year, I probably think about Florence and I download it and I play it and I’m like, that was really satisfying. [28:14.000 –> 28:23.000] Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it does look like it was 2018. And then it came to Mac OS, Windows and Switch in 2020. [28:23.000 –> 28:30.000] Yeah. And so I guess just talk a little bit about what Florence is. It’s more of an interactive novel than a game, right? [28:30.000 –> 28:39.000] The gameplay elements are very light touch and ultimately don’t have any real impact on the story that’s being told. [28:39.000 –> 28:42.000] Yes, there’s no failing. [28:42.000 –> 28:53.000] Yeah, I guess as a first question, how do you feel about that, you know, sort of that balance between, you know, it’s obviously game like mechanics, but it’s, it’s hard to call it a game. [28:53.000 –> 28:58.000] So, you know, how do you feel about that as a thing that you interact with? [28:58.000 –> 29:04.000] I’m going to try really hard not to get into debate about what a game is. [29:04.000 –> 29:13.000] I mean, so I mean, it’s a storytelling thing. What’s the word I’m looking for? It’s a way of telling a story, right? [29:13.000 –> 29:22.000] And there are many different ways of telling stories. And it is not, it is not a book. It is not a film. It is not a TV series. [29:22.000 –> 29:30.000] It is very definitely, if you line them up like that is a game, right? Like, I don’t think you can debate it as being something else. [29:30.000 –> 29:42.000] Right. I think if we want to differentiate interactive novels or visual novels or whatever from games, then sure, but that feels unnecessary, right? [29:42.000 –> 29:52.000] Like, if you’re looking for a challenging game, this is not it. If you’re looking for a storytelling experience, there are lots of games that are great storytelling experiences, and this is one of them. [29:52.000 –> 30:02.000] So if you look in your games for any sort of story, then this is for you. If you’re like, oh, I can’t stand story in games, then this is not for you. [30:02.000 –> 30:08.000] That’s kind of the key point. But there are many other games that people wouldn’t like if that was the case as well. [30:08.000 –> 30:14.000] Yeah, I think that’s really well put because it’s, and I think I agree. [30:15.000 –> 30:30.000] Not fussed on whether or not it’s called a game, but I agree because what I love about it, and I think what I love about games in general is them as storytelling devices, and this is purely a storytelling device. [30:30.000 –> 30:40.000] This is doing storytelling in ways that nothing else can. And that’s why I think it’s perfectly legitimate to call it a game because that’s what games do. Games tell stories in ways that nothing else can. [30:40.000 –> 31:01.000] Yeah, no, I agree. And I think that is what makes it right. If you just read the story or scroll through the story because it’s probably more of a visual novel style from that perspective, it would not carry the same weight if you just removed all of the interactive elements. [31:01.000 –> 31:11.000] Yeah, absolutely. And they use, we’ll get into this later on, but they use it, they use the interactive elements really well in the storytelling as well. They add a lot. [31:11.000 –> 31:20.000] So I guess I kind of described the mechanics as like WarioWare, but it’s actually telling you a story. [31:20.000 –> 31:34.000] So like with WarioWare, you’re like, hey, you’ve very quickly got to figure out what you’re meant to do. And it’s like one very small mechanic, and then you move on to the next minigame. It’s kind of like that. Each part of it has like a different way of interacting with the story. [31:34.000 –> 31:53.000] And initially, it doesn’t necessarily tell you how to do it, although if you wait, it will then give you the indication. But it kind of encourages the exploration of trying to figure out what you’re doing and then giving you hints if you can’t figure that out, which I think is a really interesting way of doing that. [31:53.000 –> 32:14.000] Yeah, and I think it’s a great way of doing tutorials, not just for games like this, but for games in general, because it encourages that exploration aspect and then gives you the nudge if it seems like you’re not making progress, right? Because it’s always satisfying when you can work things out without help, no matter the sort of game. [32:14.000 –> 32:39.000] Yeah, yeah. So there’s there’s some which is just like scrolling through and they’ve got kind of panels, kind of comic comic book esque panels. And then there’s other bits where there’s like very small puzzles, like jigsaws and scratch off panels and stuff like that. I mean, puzzle even calling it puzzle is still a little bit of a stretch. But, you know, there’s activities, shall we call it? [32:39.000 –> 32:55.000] Yeah, I like activities because yeah, you’re right. They, they feel puzzle like, but you’re not going to be sit there stuck on any of them. Maybe other than the there’s one puzzle where you have to bring things into focus. Yes. And it was always a little bit more difficult than everything else. [32:56.000 –> 33:24.000] Yeah, yeah, that one took me about maybe a quarter of the whole game’s time because I was trying to figure out what I was actually meant to do, because it wasn’t just like doing like one kind of slider to get a focus. It was two sliders and you had to like align them in the right way. But there’s no like visual indication with that other than the picture. So you have to do one of them and like get as focused as you can and then go on to the second one. And then that will be when you can then get it fully focused. [33:25.000 –> 33:27.000] I was very confused initially. [33:28.000 –> 33:35.000] I have to say every time I go back and play Florence, that is the one puzzle that I always get stuck on on what I’m meant to be doing and it takes me a few minutes to work it out and remember. [33:36.000 –> 33:48.000] Cool. So we obviously need to talk about this game and spoil a lot of it. Before we do that, is there anything else you want to talk about? But the mechanics? I think I’ve talked about everything I can without giving story spoilers. [33:49.000 –> 34:04.000] Yeah, no, I think I’m in the same bucket. But just if you are listening to this and what we’ve said so far is appealing, now is a great time to pause the show, take 40 minutes, go through and play Florence and then come back and listen to the rest of this conversation. [34:05.000 –> 34:15.000] That is a very good point because this is the rare situation where you can just go and do it and come back. Like when you say go play a game before you listen to the rest of it, normally it would take you multiple weeks. [34:16.000 –> 34:26.000] It literally will take you maybe half an hour if you’re fast, maybe an hour if you’re doing it very leisurely. But an hour is the absolute longest if you’re actually doing it. [34:26.000 –> 34:35.000] It is a really nice short thing. And last I checked it was on sale on the eShop on Switch, but it probably isn’t by the time this episode comes out. [34:36.000 –> 34:37.000] Right, should we get into spoilers? [34:38.000 –> 34:46.000] Let’s do it. This is your spoiler warning. Do not keep listening if you want to play the game and don’t want to be spoiled. This is your last and final warning. [34:47.000 –> 34:53.000] I’ve got a bunch of stuff that I want to talk about and I guess it’s all metaphors. There’s so many metaphors in this game. [34:54.000 –> 35:02.000] I guess the conversations one was the first one that was quite interesting to me and there’s lots of different things in the conversations that I thought was a really interesting way of showing things. [35:03.000 –> 35:10.000] So obviously when you’re doing the conversations you do have your visual indication of the players. You do see their facial expressions and stuff like that. [35:10.000 –> 35:13.000] But they do other things as well to kind of give you hints about what’s happening. [35:14.000 –> 35:26.000] So one thing I found really interesting was when you’re having your first date, the conversation, the way it works for people who haven’t played the game is you’re basically building up a puzzle. [35:27.000 –> 35:31.000] You’ve got a bunch of puzzle pieces and you have to put them together inside your speech bubble. [35:31.000 –> 35:39.000] And as the conversation progresses, there are fewer and fewer pieces for the same size of conversation bubble. [35:40.000 –> 35:46.000] And I don’t know if this is what they meant to do, but it felt to me like what they were saying is the relationship is developing. [35:47.000 –> 35:58.000] It wasn’t just the first date, sorry, it was the whole start of the relationship. As they got to know each other and as they felt more comfortable, the conversation got easier to make. [35:58.000 –> 36:04.000] There’s less work, less effort that needs to go in to make that conversation. [36:05.000 –> 36:18.000] Absolutely, yeah. And I think you’re exactly right. I think that is exactly what they were going for is the difficulty of completing those two puzzles was exactly related to how easy the conversation was to flow. [36:18.000 –> 36:33.000] And it felt like such a brilliant representation of that. And I’m not sure if we did cover it, but I guess the overarching story of Florence is following the relationship between Florence and, oh my God, his name just walked out of my head. [36:34.000 –> 36:41.000] Chris, thank you very much. Yeah, so it’s following their relationship, but from Florence’s perspective. [36:42.000 –> 36:50.000] And so when you’re filling in those conversations, you’re filling it in from her perspective and it gets easier over time. [36:51.000 –> 37:05.000] And then as their relationship develops and they have their first argument and some of the pieces become hard-edged and then eventually they become pointy and a little bit jagged. [37:05.000 –> 37:20.000] And I think the thing that I like the most is when they start arguing, there kind of becomes this time pressure element where the conversation sort of leans one way or the other, depending on who’s getting more words in, which I thought was brilliant. [37:21.000 –> 37:30.000] I thought it was also interesting if you continue the metaphor of how easy it is to say things like when you’re doing that bit, the time pressure bit of like just trying to do it as fast as possible. [37:30.000 –> 37:40.000] It’s one single piece. There is no puzzle. And so I guess that’s kind of like when you’re in an argument, it’s almost too easy to say things because you end up saying the wrong things. [37:41.000 –> 37:49.000] You end up saying things that hurt rather than actually things that build up and things that help and that aspect of it’s just a single one. You just throw it in the right place. [37:50.000 –> 37:56.000] You’re just throwing things out there to say things rather than to actually do something useful. [37:56.000 –> 38:09.000] Yeah, I think that’s a brilliant point because when the conversation is easy between them, it’s never a single piece. It’s always still a few, which I think absolutely represents that thoughtfulness that you have when you genuinely care about someone. [38:10.000 –> 38:19.000] And you want to have a meaningful conversation versus what you just said around arguing where you just sort of say the first thing that comes to mind and consequences be damned a little bit. [38:20.000 –> 38:26.000] And you’re not waiting to listen. You’re not listening to the question. You’re just throwing out those words. You gotta win. [38:27.000 –> 38:37.000] Exactly. Exactly. So I agree. I think for me, this is probably the strongest point of the game is those conversations and where they sort of happen. [38:38.000 –> 38:48.000] One of the other things that I really, really liked was when they eventually move in and you unpack and you get to kind of pick what goes where and what gets put in the box. [38:49.000 –> 38:58.000] And then how that flows through, I guess, to I guess we’ve already given the spoiler warning when they later moved out. [38:59.000 –> 39:05.000] And I believe I actually can’t remember, but I believe some of your choices persist through that. [39:06.000 –> 39:15.000] Yeah, you end up when you’re when you’re packing at the end, it’s almost the same as the way you unpacked. But yeah, there’s a few changes, I think. [39:15.000 –> 39:23.000] Which was it’s just really nice, right, to see that continuity from those decisions that you made and see some of that still there and some of it has changed. [39:24.000 –> 39:40.000] Yeah. Yeah. No, the unpacking decisions was interesting. It took me a while to figure out whether I was unpacking my stuff or sorry, Florence’s stuff into Chris’s house or the other way around, which I think it was the other way around. It was Chris moving in with Florence. [39:41.000 –> 39:43.000] It was Chris’s stuff, yeah, into Florence’s house. [39:43.000 –> 39:52.000] And so, like, initially I was like, oh, all this stuff in the box because I don’t need any of this stuff. And then I realized, oh, no, I was putting his stuff in the box. Oh, no. [39:55.000 –> 39:59.000] Yeah. Yeah. No, I thought that was that was really interesting as well. [40:00.000 –> 40:16.000] My other kind of biggest metaphor that I liked was the this again in two parts, you’ve got the point where when they’re starting the relationship, they’re looking at it’s either mirrors or windows or whatever. It doesn’t massively matter. [40:16.000 –> 40:29.000] And you do the scratch off minigame, you scratch off the mirror or the window and you’re basically showing their hopes and dreams for them individually and the relationship as a whole. [40:30.000 –> 40:44.000] And then when you get to the point where they’re clearly struggling, but before they’ve broken up and you’re presented with those hopes and dreams again, and then you scratch off to see the reality underneath, which is not as rosy as they’d hoped it would be. [40:44.000 –> 41:01.000] And that is really this is a funny thing, because like I was looking through some of my I was doing some tidying up today and I was reading through some stuff that I’d found, which was like letters that my wife wrote to me before we were like when we were just starting our relationship. [41:01.000 –> 41:12.000] And it’s interesting to kind of look back on that and see how then like think about that person and what their their thoughts and hopes were for the future and what life is. [41:12.000 –> 41:22.000] And you could you can constantly worry about that and think, well, life is not what I hoped it would be, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not good. It doesn’t mean that it’s not something that you can continue. [41:22.000 –> 41:33.000] It’s just it’s really easy to to look at those hopes and dreams and go, that is my failure. That’s what we could have had, whereas in reality, it never was. [41:34.000 –> 41:48.000] And just that that act of scratching away those hopes and dreams and seeing the reality, what is clearly showing at that point as being the sadder reality was quite something. [41:48.000 –> 41:57.000] Yeah, I don’t really have much to add on that, because I think that was just really well, really well said and just really well done in the game. [41:57.000 –> 42:02.000] Sort of those, you know, reflection of hopes and then seeing how those progress over the course of the story. [42:05.000 –> 42:12.000] I was going to ask, maybe you can maybe you can help me with the the job metaphor, because I feel like I’m kind of half there. I’ve just not quite figured it out. [42:13.000 –> 42:32.000] So, yeah, I’ll talk about the job metaphor where you’re sort of matching numbers and in the background and at the start, it’s very clearly Florence is just not enjoying her job, is very sort of worn out with it. [42:32.000 –> 42:41.000] And to me, it’s kind of that’s the most difficult. I believe the first time you do it is the most difficult version of the puzzle. [42:41.000 –> 42:50.000] And you do it sort of, I think, three times over the course of the game and they reflect different stages, technically four times. But yeah, right. Yeah, four times. [42:50.000 –> 43:04.000] So it reflects different stages of, you know, how Florence feels about her life affects her performance at her job, because the second time you do it, she’s still in the same job, but she’s in the relationship with Krish. [43:04.000 –> 43:14.000] And it’s easier, right, because she’s happy outside of work, which even though she doesn’t enjoy the job, it’s easier for her to do. [43:14.000 –> 43:26.000] And then there comes a time where she has her own business and is doing what she loves. And it’s super, you know, it’s super easy for her because she is in a good space. [43:26.000 –> 43:36.000] Oh, actually, I think the fourth time, which I just remember is in between the second of the ones that I mentioned there when they’re broken up and it goes back to being really difficult for her to do again. [43:36.000 –> 43:49.000] Yeah, so this is where I’m a little bit confused, right? So, yeah, the first one definitely, it’s like, you know, just starting out, I think she’s just starting out the job at that point, you know, is kind of getting used to figuring out what to do. [43:49.000 –> 43:57.000] And so obviously things as you start there, they’re kind of slow. The second one, I kind of read it as I didn’t make any connection with the relationship. [43:57.000 –> 44:09.000] I made it more like she is at the point where she’s good at her job now and, you know, kind of like enthused by the fact that she’s good at it now and just, you know, breezing through stuff. [44:09.000 –> 44:16.000] But by the time you get to the third one, although, yes, they have broken up by this point, I felt like that bit was more. Oh, no, they hadn’t broken up by that point. [44:17.000 –> 44:34.000] It was just before the breakup, I think, wasn’t it? I more thought that was like disillusionment with the job rather than necessarily the outside, the other life situations and therefore not putting in as much effort rather than the difficulty. [44:34.000 –> 44:40.000] Because the second time you as the player don’t actually do anything, like Florence just does it all almost straight away. [44:40.000 –> 44:52.000] Whereas the third time you have to do it again. And that I kind of read as the lack of enthusiasm and being disillusioned with the job, which then moves into the fourth one of being her own business. [44:52.000 –> 45:06.000] She’s now chosen to do something else. But that one, presumably, then you have to do that again. So it’s not as easy as the second time you did it because it’s a reasonably new thing at that point, the new business. [45:06.000 –> 45:19.000] Yeah, I think probably what I took away is a little bit of the outside in and it’s a little bit, you know, to me, I didn’t really associate the job piece with her competence at it. [45:19.000 –> 45:30.000] For me, it was a little bit of a, you know, when things are going well, it is easier for other things to feel not so bad or to go better. [45:30.000 –> 45:39.000] So for me, it was kind of a little bit of the story of Florence, I think is, I guess, recognizing that every aspect of your life is interconnected. [45:39.000 –> 45:49.000] Right. So, you know, personally at the moment, right, work is in a tough spot and part of that flows into my personal life. Right. [45:49.000 –> 45:58.000] It’s, you know, I’m more tired, I’m probably a little bit more irritable to be around some of those sorts of things. And the reverse is true, right? [45:58.000 –> 46:07.000] When, you know, sometimes in your personal life is going really good, it’s easier to come into work and to be happy and to let some of those negative things that happen sort of, you know, bounce off you. [46:07.000 –> 46:27.000] And that was my takeaway of what I thought the work was. And often work was also associated with a call from your mum, which I always found to be a really interesting aspect because it was very much like Florence is meant to be 25 in the story. [46:27.000 –> 46:38.000] And it’s a little bit of that, you know, not quite out of the adolescent sort of mindset yet being a little bit grumpy with mum who’s calling in the middle of the workday. [46:38.000 –> 47:07.000] Yeah, I also took that as a little bit like there&

It's been a long time coming, but after existing for decades exclusively on the Nintendo 64, Goldeneye 007 has finally been rereleased on modern platforms! In this week's episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh, we'll discuss the long-awaited return of this classic first-person shooter and whether it can live up to the nostalgia that so many players have! We'll chat about a handful of the many games announced for Switch last week, including a surprise port of Life Is Strange 2, the next game in the SteamWorld franchise, and much more! We'd also like to welcome a new voice to our show, and to the site! Tom Chaplin is one of Nintendo Everything's two new video creators, and he and his friend Sam will soon be bringing some exciting and creative content to Nintendo Everything's YouTube channel. In the meantime, we got to welcome Tom onto the podcast and hear, among other things, all about his thoughts on Fire Emblem Engage. We can't wait to have him and more folks from the site on future episodes of the podcast! Our podcast is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and Audible, or you can check out the video version on YouTube. Direct downloads are also available for free through our friends at ListenNotes. Have ideas or suggestions for the show, or want to submit a fan question or topic for a future episode? Let us know what you think – and thanks for listening! ➡ Inquiries/Fan Mail: NERefreshPodcast@gmail.com ➡ Visit the site: https://nintendoeverything.com Episode Segments: (00:00) | Intro (01:10) | GoldenEye 007 launches on Switch Online (09:10) | Uno gets a Switch Online Trial (11:37) | Splatfest incoming! (15:45) | SteamWorld Build announced (19:28) | Life is Strange 2 (23:05) | Trek to Yomi (26:21) | Road 96 prequel announced (28:27) | Strayed Lights announced (31:12) | Release Dates (Minecraft Legends, Fuga 2, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life) (42:13) | Sonic may ditch the "boost" mechanic (46:53) | The Future of Sonic games (51:54) | Recent Releases (01:04:38) | What we've been playing Hosts: Nick Serpa: @ndserpa Dennis Gagliardotto: @LyonHart_ Luiz Estrella: @Luizestrella_ Nicolas Shadday: @Dayshade1999 Tom Chaplin

✩ Video Version ✩ ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0-tq0F_qKo SOCIAL LINKS --------------------------------------------------- ✩ Derek ✩ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperDerekRPGs ►Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/SuperDerekRPGs ►Discord: https://discord.me/superderek✩ Baku ✩ ►Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BakusanJRPG ►Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/BakusanJRPG►Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/weebsauce ►Discord: https://discord.me/ABC----------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS From SuperDerek:0:00:00 Welcome back to HitPoint! 0:01:21 Baku how are you doing?0:06:53 What's Derek up to?0:10:46Responding to last week's comments0:11:36The PlayStation Launch Pattern0:12:36Anecdote: Why SuperDerek needs to buy a PS5 now0:15:51Additional perspectives on Silent Hill Movies0:18:56Voicemail: RPG Locations that left an impactUpcoming Releases This Week 0:27:13For A Vast Future0:31:41Sowon: Dream Adventure0:34:44Shrine's Legacy0:39:01Harvestella0:44:00Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great KingdomNew Game Announced:0:46:31Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life 0:52:18Shinonome 0:56:36RWBY: Arrowfell1:00:46Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty1:04:11Granzella x NIS America Live StreamIndustry News:1:10:28Nioh 2 PS4 and PS5 Versions are November 2022 PlayStation Plus Games1:15:26Idea Factory International Teases Announcement for November 2, 20221:17:21Armed Fantasia Shares 5-Minute English Subtitled Composer Interview1:18:51Star Ocean 2: Second Evolution Coming West to PS4 Depends on Fans Being Vocal1:22:15Rieko Kodama has passed awayCommunity News:1:24:33Game News Account "Nibel" Leaving TwitterMerch News:1:26:31Square Enix's New Chill and EDM Remixes1:29:51What is the Worst Square Enix Soundtrack?1:30:43SMT 30th Anniversary1:32:49Some SMT fans and Persona fans do not mix1:38:20Responding to Super Chats & Outro

Al and Bev talk about Ooblets Timings [00:00:00] Theme Tune [00:00:30] Intro [00:02:41] Why Are There So Many Farming Games [00:07:34] More Intro [00:08:02] What Have We Been Playing [00:14:42] News [00:40:31] Ooblets [01:43:53] Spoilers [01:55:40] Outro Links Penny Arcade Comic Ooblets Early Access Episode Wandering Village Early Access Launch Let’s Build a Zoo Coming to Consoles Harvestella Demo Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life A Wonderful Life Non-Binary Option Rune Factory 3 Special Upcoming Rune Factory Fae Farm Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Other Platforms Littlelands Ooblets Early Access Episode Ooblets on Epic Ooblets on Switch Ooblets on Steam (not out yet) Bev on Twitter Contact Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/THSPod Al on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/

Vi skulle egentlig snakke om noe helt annet, men plutselig bestemte hele spillbransjen seg for å pøse på med spillnyheter. Dermed kjører vi en spesialepisode (eller messe som vi kaller det) hvor vi tar for oss alt av nyheter etter pausen. Så her blir det plenty med prat om Assassin's Creed, Disney, Nintendo og Sony, for å nevne noe. Dessuten har vi spilt Splatoon 3, Metal: Hellsinger, Stray og mye annet, så her skorter det ikke på innhold. Noen av spillene vi snakker om i episode 93: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Splatoon 3, Metal: Hellsinger, Demon Throttle, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Stray, Far Cry 5, Assassin's Creed, Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Skull and Bones, Fire Emblem Engage, It Takes Two, Octopath Traveler II, GoldenEye 007, Pikmin 4, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion, Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe, Tekken 8, Like a Dragon 8/Gaiden/Ishin, Stellar Blade, Rise of the Ronin, God of War: Ragnarök, Overwatch 2.

Subscribe to Drop Rate our new review podcast for free. Apple Podcasts SpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon MusicPocket Casts--STORY OF SEASONS: A WONDERFUL LIFE revisits the 2003 farming simulator GameCube classic. In the years since its original release, farming games have risen in popularity: Stardew Valley, Wylde Flowers, and Disney Dreamlight Valley, just to name a few.Ruby Innes (Back Pocket) and Courtney Borrett (Power Up, Kotaku Australia) join us this episode to explain why this modern take on the classic game is one of the best in the series to revisit.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

STORY OF SEASONS: A WONDERFUL LIFE revisits the 2003 farming simulator GameCube classic. In the years since its original release, farming games have risen in popularity: Stardew Valley, Wylde Flowers, and Disney Dreamlight Valley, just to name a few. Ruby Innes (Back Pocket) and Courtney Borrett (Power Up, Kotaku Australia) join us this episode to explain why this modern take on the classic game is one of the best in the series to revisit. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ